


Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) celebrated how Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have set their sights on the U.S. Agency for International Development, citing the revelations she has made in her yearslong investigation into the agency.
Musk indicated Monday that USAID is “beyond repair” after several senior officials were placed on leave for not complying with President Donald Trump‘s executive order to pause all foreign aid, with Musk indicating it could shut down since the United States needs to “basically get rid of the whole thing.” Ernst explained that for years, she tried to find out how humanitarian aid for the war in Ukraine was being spent and discovered “absolute obstruction and lies” from USAID and the agency’s attempt to stop her.
BRINGING USAID UNDER DEMOCRATIC CONTROL
“But what we found was extreme expenditures on the part of USAID with very little data-driven results,” Ernst said on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom. “We have seen money funded in the Wuhan Institute of Virology through dollars steered by USAID on dangerous Coronaviruses. We saw how that turned out. We’ve seen funding going to Morocco for pottery classes, tourism in Lebanon of all places, even when the State Department was advising against travel. I could go on and on and on.”
The Iowa senator also addressed how multiple Democrats are voicing their opposition to Musk and his criticism of USAID, arguing that the billionaire is in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency and is “doing a great job” at getting rid of wasteful spending. She added that USAID is responsible for “blatant disregard” for taxpayer dollars and needs disruption to ensure the agency meets voters’ interests.
Going forward, Ernst urged Democratic lawmakers to “get used to this,” as DOGE will continue to find ways to eliminate government waste.
“So get ready for disruption, get used to disruption,” Ernst said. “Let’s get our federal government back on track and doing what we should be doing and not focusing on items of ridiculous ideology.”
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has attempted to quell concerns that USAID could shut down immediately, saying the State Department and other entities would work with Congress and the other committees “to reorganize and absorb certain bureaus, offices, and missions of USAID.”
On ABC News’s The View, fellow billionaire Bill Gates suggested that Musk is failing to see the “good work” that USAID does. He also detailed how his Gates Foundation partnered with USAID “on nutrition and getting vaccines out.”