Washington’s pitched battle over the United States Agency for International Development is, in many ways, a brawl that suits both parties.
For President Donald Trump and Hill Republicans, the agency is a clear example of a sprawling federal bureaucracy run amok. As GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt (Texas) pointed out on X Monday, USAID spent $20 million to produce Ahlan Simsim Iraq, an Arabic-language version of Sesame Street, gave the Jordanians $100 million to build schools, funneled $11 million to Vietnam as part of an environmental protection program and spent $27 million for reintegration gift bags for deportees.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also mocked some of USAID’s outlays on Monday, including “$70,000 for a production of a DEI musical in Ireland, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia, $32,000 for a transgender opera in Peru.”
For Democrats, Trump’s decision to fold USAID into the State Department isn’t only about the life-saving mission of the foreign aid agency but rather an example of a burgeoning plutocracy with no guardrails. They see Trump’s attacks on a myriad of small agencies — USAID, EEOC, and NLRB — as well as larger ones — the FBI, Justice Department and possibly the Department of Education — as part of his push to create an imperial presidency unchecked by Congress.
Mega billionaire Elon Musk — a “special government employee” — has been tasked with beginning to wind down USAID, dispatching DOGE aides to start dismantling the 10,000-person organization. Senior officials have been put on leave, contractors laid off and humanitarian assistance paused. Musk blasted Democrats for defending USAID, claiming, “the corrupt politicians ‘protesting’ outside the USAID building are the ones getting money from USAID,” which is a bizarre line.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that Trump, Musk and DOGE aren’t interested in the inner workings of USAID. Their ultimate goal, Schumer said, is dismantling the federal government:
Democrats point to huge potential conflicts of interest for Musk, whose businesses include Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink, X and others. Federal contracts for Musk-controlled companies could run into billions of dollars. Democrats have honed in on attempts by DOGE aides to gain access to the federal payments system run by the Treasury Department as particularly worrisome. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are drafting legislation to bar that.
Yet with USAID, DOGE is feasting on low-hanging fruit. There’s nothing that draws as much GOP ire as foreign aid, especially when the U.S. government is saddled with $36 trillion in debt.
Of course, no one doubts that USAID does some important work that aligns with U.S. values. Some Republicans are coming to the agency’s defense, especially when it comes to PEPFAR, the Bush-era program designed to fight AIDS in Africa.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), who supports a full review of USAID’s operations, said the Trump administration can’t overhaul the agency without congressional approval.
“However, having said that, the law is very specific that if there’s going to be a reorganization of USAID, that Congress has to be informed 15 days in advance and a detailed explanation of any changes has to be provided,” Collins told reporters. “All we have received is a very brief letter, which we received today. So I do not believe that satisfies the requirements of the law.”
And a new CRS report released Monday says plainly that “the president does not have the authority to abolish [USAID]; congressional authorization would be required to abolish, move, or consolidate USAID.”
It’s also true that USAID uses soft diplomacy to help stabilize troubled regions around the globe. Equally as important, USAID has managed billions to help prop up Ukraine’s economy and government since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Yet after Congress approved more than $120 billion supporting Ukraine, plus billions more for other regions, Republicans are happy to fight about U.S. spending abroad. Why? Because foreign aid isn’t something that directly affects the lives of most Americans. Republicans see this as an easy win, especially when there’s so much to mock.
“It is not too much to ask that our foreign aid and its delivery to actually comport with the objectives of our foreign policy,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said.
The USAID fight has already spread to other areas, including nominations. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) is vowing to place holds on Trump’s State Department nominees.
“It’s about maintaining stability overseas so that that instability doesn’t visit us in the United States,” Schatz said of USAID.
“The wealthiest country on Earth cannot turn its back on starving children around the world. That’s not who we are,” declared Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).