WASHINGTON, USA — The U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, is in turmoil after members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, attempted to access restricted data and facilities.
This led to a confrontation with the agency’s top security officials and a sweeping purge of career staff.
Two senior security officials at USAID, Director of Security John Voorhees and a deputy, have been placed on administrative leave after blocking DOGE members from physically accessing secure areas, five current and former officials confirmed.
The confrontation escalated when a senior deputy to Musk threatened to call U.S. Marshals to grant DOGE operatives access to USAID’s headquarters at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.
Access to Sensitive Data Sparks Alarm
Following the security standoff, DOGE officials gained control of USAID’s access control system, allowing them to lock out employees, access emails, and obtain personnel files and turnstile data, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Reports also suggest that Musk’s team may have attempted to access Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) and classified intelligence cables, despite lacking the necessary security clearances.
Responding to reports that DOGE operatives had accessed classified materials, Katie Miller, a member of the advisory board for DOGE and wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, claimed on X that “no classified material was accessed without proper security clearances.”
However, an Associated Press report contradicted this assertion, stating that DOGE officials did access intelligence reports despite lacking the required clearance levels.
Mass Suspensions and Staff Exodus
The latest moves are part of a broader restructuring effort within USAID. More than 100 career employees have now been placed on administrative leave, according to officials.
“We’re literally coming to work each day waiting to get the email that we’re supposed to go,” one current USAID staffer said. “It is very much a terror feeling in that building right now.”
Matt Hopson, USAID’s new chief of staff, has resigned, two officials confirmed. Hopson was one of eight Trump appointees overseeing USAID’s leadership, who have largely isolated themselves from career employees since taking control.
The internal upheaval follows Trump’s decision to freeze nearly all U.S. foreign aid, as part of an “America First” strategy that has disrupted USAID-funded humanitarian programs, including:
- Field hospitals in Thai refugee camps
- Landmine clearance in war zones
- HIV/AIDS treatment programs
- Energy security and anti-corruption initiatives
USAID, which provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024, disbursed $72 billion in assistance worldwide in the last fiscal year.
Musk Calls for USAID Shutdown
Musk, who has led the charge to downsize federal agencies and slash regulations, has openly called for USAID’s elimination.
“USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die,” Musk wrote on X, later referring to it as a “viper’s nest of radical left-Marxists who hate America.”
During a discussion on X early Monday, Musk reiterated that he was working to shut down the agency, claiming it was “beyond repair.”
The Trump administration is now considering folding USAID into the State Department, according to multiple reports. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) has reportedly been tasked with evaluating the agency’s future, while Pete Marocco, a Trump campaign ally, has been placed in a senior role at the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance, where he has helped implement the foreign aid freeze.
USAID Website Taken Offline
Amid the ongoing turmoil, USAID’s website abruptly went offline Friday evening, temporarily redirecting visitors to the White House’s website.
The site, which housed decades of grant records and financial reports, remains inaccessible.
Growing Political and Legal Backlash
The latest developments have sparked alarm among Senate Democrats, who have accused the administration of undermining national security and damaging U.S. credibility abroad.
“These reckless actions have created a maelstrom of problems that have put our nation at risk and undermined American credibility around the globe,” senior Senate Democrats warned Friday.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other legal watchdog groups are also monitoring the situation, as the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID could test the limits of executive authority.
What’s Next?
With hundreds of USAID employees sidelined, DOGE operatives gaining control of agency systems, and the agency’s future hanging in the balance, observers are watching to see whether Congress will step in to challenge Trump’s push to dissolve the organization.
As the White House pushes forward with aggressive changes, the global ripple effects of USAID’s dismantling are already being felt, raising questions about U.S. commitments to international humanitarian aid, diplomatic relations, and national security policy.
