'Illegal maneuver' — Democratic lawmakers oppose merging USAID under State Department

Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. Congress on Feb. 3 protested the merging of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the State Department, warning that the decision threatens global aid programs, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting administrator of USAID, according to a statement published on Feb. 3. The announcement came shortly after Trump's ally Elon Musk claimed that he had the president's support in shutting down the agency.

Members of Congress gathered outside the USAID headquarters in Washington, condemning what they called an "illegal maneuver" by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk, who Trump has tasked with reducing the size of the federal government.

The lawmakers also protested reports that USAID employees had been ordered not to report to work and were locked out of government email and accounts. The Congress members accused Musk of interfering in U.S. foreign aid programs while his companies, including SpaceX, continue to receive Pentagon contracts.

"Elon Musk is a terrible president," Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and the running mate of the unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, posted on X, alluding to what some see as the billionaire's oversized influence in the new administration.

USAID, the U.S. government's primary foreign aid agency, funds programs in global health, clean water access, energy security, and civil society. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, USAID has provided $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and over $30 billion in direct budget support to Kyiv.

The administration's move has effectively frozen all foreign assistance for at least 90 days, halting USAID-funded projects worldwide while the administration carries out a review.

On Feb. 3, the White House announced, "Under President Trump, the waste, fraud, and abuse ends now," criticizing USAID for misusing taxpayer money on supposedly "ridiculous" projects. The "waste and abuse programs" list included nothing related to Ukraine.

Ukraine's humanitarian and information policy parliamentary committee has begun consultations with European partners to temporarily replace U.S. funding.