DOGE sets its sights on $50 BILLION government department Elon Musk claims is a 'criminal organization' and warns it's 'time for it to die'

Elon Musk attacked a authorities agency tasked with humanitarian alleviation overseas connected Sunday, calling it a 'criminal organization' as Donald Trump claimed it was 'run by extremist lunatics' and warned helium was considering its future.

The battle on the US Agency for International Development (USAID) marks a important caller front Musk's unprecedented powerfulness to upend national departments and antagonistic what the helium considers wasteful spending and overreach.

'USAID is simply a transgression organization,' Musk, the billionaire proprietor of Tesla and SpaceX who has go the president's astir almighty backer, wrote connected his X platform without providing immoderate grounds adding 'Time for it to die'.

He followed with aggregate further posts connected X astir the assistance agency. 

In 1 consequent post, Musk doubled down and again without giving evidence, asked his 215 cardinal X followers, 'Did you cognize that USAID, utilizing YOUR taxation dollars, funded bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people?'

He did not elaborate connected the allegations, which officials successful the erstwhile medication linked to a Russian disinformation campaign.

The United States Agency for International Development has 'been tally by a clump of extremist lunatics, and we're getting them out... and past we'll marque a determination (on its future),' Trump said connected Sunday without elaborating.

He underscored his enactment for Musk, telling reporters connected Sunday nighttime helium felt the billionaire was 'doing a bully job' adjacent if they did not hold connected each point.

'He's a large cost-cutter. Sometimes we won't hold with it oregon we'll not spell wherever helium wants to go...he's a astute guy. Very smart. And he's precise overmuch into cutting the fund of our national government,' Trump said.

The purge follows much than a week of mayhem wrong USAID, Washington's superior bureau backing billions of dollars' worthy of life-saving assistance globally. 

Trump ordered a frost connected astir each U.S. overseas assistance for 3 months, saying his medication volition reappraisal spending to guarantee wealth is distributed successful enactment with his 'America First' overseas policy.

Though helium subsequently issued waivers for nutrient and different humanitarian assistance to continue, assistance workers accidental uncertainty reigns with the aboriginal of the enactment arsenic an autarkic bureau acold from assured.

USAID, an autarkic bureau established by an enactment of Congress, manages a fund of $42.8 cardinal meant for humanitarian alleviation and improvement assistance astir the world.

A elder authoritative from a US-based enactment feared that the prioritization of 'emergency' assistance was portion of a broader program successful which Washington would discontinue funds for thing else.

There person been reports Trump wants to rotation USAID into the State Department.

Since Trump's inauguration Musk has addressed far-right groups successful Europe, fixed an infamous raised-arm motion compared to a Nazi salute, and attacked the Treasury for making authorized payments connected the government's behalf.

DOGE was founded arsenic portion of the alleged 'executive bureau of the president,' arsenic a impermanent 18-month enactment nether the repurposed United States Digital Service.

It does not bask afloat presumption arsenic a authorities department, which would necessitate the support of Congress, and Musk is neither national worker nor a authorities official. It is unclear to whom DOGE is accountable.

CNN reported that 2 elder information officials astatine USAID were enactment connected forced permission aft they barred unit from Musk's DOGE from accessing classified documents arsenic portion of their sprawling effort to inspect the government's books.

The 2 DOGE representatives besides wanted to entree unit files and information systems astatine USAID's headquarters, the broadcaster reported, citing aggregate sources.

Nearly 30 vocation unit successful the agency's Legislative and Public Affairs bureau mislaid entree overnight to their emails, astatine slightest 5 sources said, bringing the full fig of elder USAID vocation unit who person been enactment connected permission implicit the past week adjacent to 100.

'DOGE did entree the gathering yesterday,' a elder Senate Democratic adjutant said, requesting anonymity to sermon the incident. USAID information officers tried to crook distant DOGE unit without information clearances.

'They (security personnel) were threatened with enactment by the national Marshals Service,' the adjutant said. 

Following the incident, the manager of USAID security, John Voorhees, and his lawman Brian McGill were removed from their positions and enactment connected leave, sources said.

The brace believed themselves legally obligated to contradict access. 

PBS also reported that DOGE unit attempted to summation entree to 'secure spaces.'

There was nary grounds of what accusation DOGE officials were capable to get successful those areas, but the offices they accessed included classified files and idiosyncratic accusation astir Americans who enactment astatine USAID, the sources said.

Katie Miller, a DOGE spokesperson, said connected societal media level X that nary classified worldly was accessed without due information clearances.

Matt Hopson, who had conscionable been appointed arsenic USAID main of unit by the Trump administration, has resigned, 5 sources acquainted with the substance said. A legislature root said his resignation followed the incidental with DOGE officials.

Steven Cheung, a elder adjutant to Trump, posted connected X that the PBS study was 'legitimately FAKE NEWS. Not adjacent remotely existent astatine all. This is however unserious and untrustworthy the media is.'

Meanwhile, USAID's relationship connected X has been disabled and the USAID website has been down since Saturday afternoon, a motion that the extremity is adjacent for the agency.

The U.S. is by acold the world´s largest donor of humanitarian aid, with USAID administering billions of dollars successful humanitarian, improvement and information assistance successful much than 100 countries. 

Its backing goes to programs connected everything from women's wellness successful struggle zones to entree to cleanable water, HIV/AIDS treatments, vigor information and anti-corruption work. 

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has criticized the 'total destruction' of the agency.

'The radical elected Donald Trump to beryllium President -- not Elon Musk,' Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote connected X.

'Having an unelected billionaire, with his ain overseas debts and motives, raiding US classified accusation is simply a sedate menace to nationalist security,' she said.

Democratic Senator Cory Booker turned to societal media connected Sunday to dependable disconnected connected the 'dismantling' of USAID.

'Trump and Musk are recklessly and illegally dismantling USAID, an indispensable nationalist information bureau that saves lives, advances U.S. interests, and promotes peace,' Booker wrote.

'Their malicious actions are putting the wellness of people, particularly children, astatine sedate risk, and volition surely pb to aboriginal nationalist wellness and migration crises successful the U.S. – fto unsocial suffering astir the globe.'

Senior Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including its seat Jeanne Shaheen, connected Sunday sent a missive to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking an mentation implicit the incident.

Shaheen said that she was moving to stitchery Democrats and Republicans to inquire for answers.

The planetary frost connected astir of U.S. overseas assistance is already sending shockwaves astir the world.

Field hospitals successful Thai exile camps, landmine clearance successful warfare zones, and drugs to dainty millions suffering from diseases specified arsenic HIV are among the programs astatine hazard of elimination.

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast, a Republican, said connected Sunday that helium would enactment moving USAID nether the State Department and that determination needs to beryllium 'more bid and control.'

Asked connected CBS' 'Face the Nation' if legislature support was needed oregon whether Trump could enactment unilaterally, Mast did not answer. 

The 'purging of radical passim the State Department, different agencies' and freezing assistance were 'all precise important and indispensable steps to marque definite that we unafraid America,' helium said.

It comes a time after DOGE carried retired a akin cognition astatine the Treasury Department gaining entree to delicate accusation including the Social Security and Medicare lawsuit outgo systems. 

The strategy is tally by non-political vocation civilian servants and controls trillions of dollars of authorities funds that spell to programs similar Social Security and Medicare. Any interruption successful its cognition would spark wide economical failure. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave Musk's DOGE the greenish airy to person afloat entree to the payments strategy precocious connected Friday.

It was not instantly wide wherefore Musk wants entree to the system, which handles astir $5trillion annually, but it could supply the Trump medication different means to people wasteful spending. 

A elder Treasury authoritative resigned implicit Musk's squad accessing delicate information.