USAID website goes dark as Musk calls aid agency 'criminal'

Alberto Nardelli, Bloomberg News on Feb 2, 2025

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The U.S. Agency for International Development’s website was offline over the weekend as the Trump administration continues to review its future and the path forward for U.S. foreign aid in general.

A network error or blank page was encountered when attempting to access the site, usaid.gov, across various countries and devices.

CNN later reported that top security officials at USAID had been placed on leave on Saturday after refusing to allow staff from billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access systems at the agency.

The officials contended that the DOGE staff lacked the security clearances required to see the information, making them legally obligated to deny access, the AP reported. Musk on Sunday called USAID “a criminal organization” on the X platform he owns.

The fast-moving developments follow an executive order by President Donald Trump last month to halt and reevaluate U.S. foreign aid. Billions of dollars in U.S. assistance that are typically coordinated by the independent agency were frozen, and several senior officials suspended.

That order left many aid recipients, especially across Africa and in Ukraine, scrambling. The agency provides support for everything from humanitarian projects to health initiatives to disaster relief.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a waiver for certain “live-saving humanitarian assistance” as a three-month review is carried out to determine which of the thousands of U.S. foreign aid projects align with Trump’s vision.

The agency’s programs are also often baked into key foreign policy priorities such as helping countries’ energy transition, competing with China on infrastructure projects, and countering Moscow’s and Beijing’s influence.

Under the Biden administration, the U.S. and its Group of Seven allies agreed several initiatives to compete with China’s massive infrastructure program and clout seen everywhere from Africa to Latin America to Asia.

The new administration sees foreign aid as charity and doesn’t consider how it serves U.S. geopolitical interests, said a diplomat from a G-7 country who declined to be identified to discuss sensitive issues.

Several reports, including from Reuters and the New York Times, suggested the agency could soon be folded into the State Department under Trump’s plans.

Democratic lawmakers warned on the social network X, where USAID’s primary account also went dark over the weekend, that any move to eliminate the agency’s independence would be illegal, against U.S. interests, and would benefit China.

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the attempted “total destruction” of USAID was “happening as we speak” but that Trump “cannot unilaterally close a federal agency.”

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