Photo Caption: Protesters continued to gather outside the U.S. Agency for International Development on Monday, after Elon Musk and President Donald Trump made moves to dismantle the agency. (AP Video: Serkan Gurbuz)

By: Joe Bowers, IVN

President Donald Trump may be the face of the effort to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), but Elon Musk is the one orchestrating its demise. From behind the scenes, Musk is controlling the agency’s destruction, using his Department of Government Efficiency to fire its employees and gut its programs – all without legal authority.

Rather than stopping this power grab, Congress, controlled by Republicans, has done nothing. USAID was created by Congress, and only Congress has the power to dismantle it. Yet, they’ve failed to uphold their constitutional responsibility and handed over their authority to an unelected billionaire to dictate U.S. foreign policy.

Trump’s hostility toward USAID is nothing new, especially when it benefits Black and Brown communities. In 2018, he infamously called Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations “sh**hole countries” and questioned why the U.S. should welcome immigrants from those regions instead of majority-White nations like Norway.

Now, he’s cut off all U.S. assistance to South Africa, falsely claiming White farmers face persecution, and has signed an executive order prioritizing resettlement of White, “Afrikaner refugees” into the U.S. Meanwhile, he has suspended the program that has resettled refugees fleeing persecution in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Venezuela.

For Trump, USAID represents an approach to foreign aid he is unwilling to support – stabilizing struggling nations in Africa, Latin America and Asia without clear benefits to the U.S.

Musk isn’t just supporting Trump’s effort — he’s leading it. Trump and Congress have allowed the world’s richest man unilateral power to pull the plug on life-saving programs for the world’s poorest children. Musk operating without real oversight has falsely labeled USAID a “criminal organization”, spreading lies about waste and corruption to justify its elimination.

Under Musk’s direction, USAID’s headquarters has been closed, its website was taken offline, and thousands of employees were placed on administrative leave. The workforce is being slashed from over 10,000 to just 611 worldwide, leaving essential food aid, disaster relief, and disease prevention programs in limbo in 130 countries.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked parts of their plan, ruling that the administration cannot place thousands of USAID employees on leave. This legal challenge confirms that Trump and Musk’s actions are not just reckless — they’re unlawful.

By dismantling USAID, Trump and Musk are creating a power vacuum that China and Russia are eager to fill. China, through its Belt and Road Initiative, will be able to expand its reach, using predatory loans to gain control over ports, infrastructure, and key resources in developing nations that once relied on U.S. aid. Russia will be able to strengthen its ties with authoritarian regimes, spreading propaganda and using mercenaries and military agreements to expand its influence in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

With USAID employees gone, its critical health programs — including clinical trials for malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS — have been halted, and food shipments to war-torn and famine-stricken regions remain undelivered, despite being grown by American farmers. The result? U.S. influence shrinks while its adversaries grow stronger.

Trump and Musk’s campaign against USAID is fueled by disinformation, spread by MAGA media and right-wing influencers. False claims have flooded the internet, in an attempt to turn public opinion against USAID.

One widely shared conspiracy suggested that USAID gave the media organization, Politico, $34.3 million in 2024. The real amount? Just $44,000 in subscription fees over two years. Trump has also claimed his administration stopped $50 million in U.S. government funding for condoms sent to Hamas – an outright fabrication.

These lies, spread through conservative media, are designed to distract from the fact that USAID benefits not just foreign nations, but also American farmers, businesses, and workers who rely on the international markets it helps create.

While some Democrats have spoken out, their words have yet to translate into meaningful action to reverse the agency’s collapse.

Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51) has warned, “Eliminating USAID means no more food for Sudanese refugees, no more medical care for displaced Palestinians, no more HIV treatment in Africa. People will starve, babies will die, and poverty will skyrocket”.

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) has called out the global consequences, stating, “Trump and Musk have made it clear that if you want help, your only options are China and Russia.”

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) led chants of “lock him up” at a protest, following Rep. Dave Min’s (D-CA- 47) call for the law to be enforced against Musk.

Despite their outrage, Democrats haven’t used the full power of Congress to stop Trump and Musk. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) emphasized that only Congress can eliminate a federal agency, but so far, no meaningful action has been taken.

Democrats can hold hearings, block nominees, and push legislation, but they haven’t. Republicans spent years obstructing Democratic policies, using every procedural trick available. If the roles were reversed, Republicans wouldn’t hesitate to shut down the government. Will Democrats step up before it’s too late?

The destruction of USAID isn’t just a policy shift. It’s a constitutional crisis.

It’s time for real accountability. Republicans in Congress must be forced to act, and if they refuse, Democrats must escalate their response beyond rhetoric. That means holding emergency hearings, blocking Trump’s nominees, and using every tool available to restore USAID’s funding.

This fight isn’t just in Washington. Call your representatives. Demand they stop Trump and Musk’s illegal power grab. If Congress continues to look the other way, history will not be kind to those who stood by and let America’s global leadership crumble.