USAID D.C. Headquarters Shut Down for Staff Following Musk’s Announcement and Trump’s Approval – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
7:33 AM – Monday, February 3, 2025
Employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development were advised to avoid the agency’s Washington headquarters on Monday, according to a notice circulated among them, following Elon Musk’s announcement that President Donald Trump had concurred with him to terminate the agency.
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“Per the directive from Agency leadership, the USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C. will be inaccessible to Agency staff on Monday, February 3, 2025,” an email sent to personnel overnight stated, as per a copy acquired by NBC News.
The communication indicated that agency staff who typically work at USAID’s headquarters “will be working remotely tomorrow,” with exceptions made for essential on-site and building maintenance roles. “Additional instructions will be provided,” it mentioned.
“Upon examining USAID, it became clear that it’s not just an apple with a worm,” Musk remarked during a live session on X Spaces early Monday. “Instead, we are dealing with a ball of worms. It’s necessary to eliminate it entirely. It’s irreparable.”
“We’re shutting it down,” he affirmed.
In the meantime, the Trump administration is contemplating transferring USAID’s oversight to the State Department, according to officials involved in the discussions. As of Monday, USAID’s website has become inaccessible, displaying a message that the server’s IP address cannot be found.
Founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, USAID has served as the primary international humanitarian and development agency for the U.S. government.
The latest report from the Congressional Research Service indicates that over 10,000 individuals are employed by the agency, with roughly two-thirds of them stationed overseas. In recent times, USAID has “offered significant humanitarian, developmental, and economic support to Ukraine and nations impacted by Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, in addition to humanitarian aid in Gaza and beyond,” the report elaborates.
Over the weekend, the Trump administration placed two top security officials at USAID on leave after they declined to turn over classified materials from restricted areas to Musk’s government inspection teams, as reported by a current and a former U.S. official to the Associated Press on Sunday.
“No one feels secure approaching the Ronald Reagan building,” revealed one USAID official to NBC News. “Elon Musk just labeled us a criminal organization. Our security chief was escorted off the premises. We’re aware that DOGE is monitoring us.”
In his statement on Monday regarding the cessation of USAID, Musk claimed that Trump backed the decision.
“Regarding USAID, I discussed it thoroughly with him, and he concurred that we should terminate it,” Musk mentioned about the president. “I checked with him several times and asked, ‘Are you certain?’ to which Trump replied, ‘Yes.’”
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