Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency for facilitating cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development in a public show of camaraderie between Musk and Rubio after their reported spat at the White House last week.
Elon Musk walks to the White House after landing in Marine One on the South Lawn with U.S. President ... [+]
Rubio said Monday on X that 83% of USAID contracts he claimed “spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed) the U.S.” are now cancelled, with the goal of moving the remaining 18% of programs under the State Department.
In a nod to Musk, Rubio wrote “thank you to DOGE” for identifying the cuts, to which Musk replied, “tough, but necessary. Good working with you.”
The public display of appreciation appeared to be an attempt to bury the hatchet after reports the two argued in the White House last week in front of President Donald Trump and other cabinet members, with Musk accusing Rubio of not having fired enough people, according to The New York Times, which reported Rubio has been privately furious for weeks about the DOGE-proposed USAID cuts (Trump has pushed back on the Times report).
Rubio and Musk also teamed up in attacking Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on X over the weekend, with Rubio accusing Sikorski of being ungrateful for Musk’s Starlink internet satellite services in Ukraine and disputing Sikorski’s claims that Musk was threatening to shut down it down, to which Musk replied, “What Secretary Rubio says is absolutely correct.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy—who also reportedly sparred with Musk in last week’s cabinet meeting, accusing DOGE of trying to fire air traffic controllers—also praised DOGE over the weekend, writing on X that “DOGE is helping us cut out the woke nonsense, prioritize innovation, and remain mission-focused.”
Tensions surrounding Musk’s influence in the Trump administration and the mass layoffs he has spearheaded have been brewing for weeks in Washington, with Republican lawmakers openly questioning some of DOGE’s tactics. In last week’s cabinet meeting, Trump reportedly told agency leaders they were in charge of firing decisions, not Musk. The stance mirrors the Trump administration’s claims that Musk does not have decision-making authority in response to lawsuits contesting Musk’s role in the federal government and disputing some of the firings. Trump reportedly defended Rubio in Thursday’s meeting and denied there was a clash between Rubio and Musk to reporters Friday, insisting “Elon gets along great with Marco and they’re both doing a fantastic job.”
Trump signed an executive order Jan. 20 to freeze all foreign aid, with exceptions for emergency food programs and aid to Israel and Egypt, leading to nearly all USAID staffers being placed on paid leave and plans to fire thousands of others. The dismantling of the agency has sparked multiple lawsuits, and a federal judge ruled last week that the U.S. government must pay some foreign aid contractors by the end of the day Monday.
Trump Denies Blowup Between Musk And Rubio: 'No Clash' (Forbes)