Elon Musk, billionaire entrepreneur and Tesla CEO, is leading the effort to shrink the United States (US) government under President Trump.
The latest is the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a major provider of global humanitarian aid.
Musk, speaking alongside Republicans including Vivek Ramaswamy, Senator Joni Ernst and Mike Lee, claimed the organization no longer fits Trump’s “America First” policy.
Following the announcement, most USAID employees were told to work remotely.
Several officials were fired after Musk’s team was prevented from entering a restricted area of USAID.
The development is seen as affecting global health initiatives and disaster relief programs as USAID is the largest contributor, accounting for 42% of humanitarian aid.
Musk said the US government could save $1 trillion if fraud in the government was stopped.
