Billionaire Elon Musk, who is heading U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to shrink the federal government, gave an update on the effort early Monday, saying they are working to shut down the U.S. foreign aid agency USAID. Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, discussed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a Monday social media talk on X, which he also owns. Trump has assigned Musk to lead a federal cost-cutting panel. The conversation, which included former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Republican Senator Joni Ernst, began with Musk saying they were working to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). "It's beyond repair," Musk said, adding that President Trump agrees it should be shut down. USAID is the world's largest single donor. In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. disbursed $72 billion of assistance worldwide on everything from women's health in conflict zones to access to clean water, HIV/AIDS treatments, energy security and anti-corruption work. It provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.
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