USAID officials placed on leave after blocking Musk’s DOGE access

Two senior security officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have been placed on administrative leave after blocking access to personnel from the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an office under billionaire Elon Musk. The action follows a report from CNN, which cited multiple sources.

DOGE personnel reportedly attempted to access security systems, personnel files, and even classified information at USAID’s Washington headquarters on Saturday night but were denied entry. According to two sources, DOGE staff threatened to call U.S. Marshals to forcibly gain access.

Among those placed on leave are USAID Director of Security John Voorhees and his deputy.

In response to the incident, Musk took to X, accusing USAID of being “a criminal organization” and calling for its dissolution. He described the agency as “evil” and a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America.”

Katie Miller, a former Trump administration official now working with DOGE, clarified on X that no classified material had been accessed without proper security clearances.

Saturday also saw USAID’s website go offline, along with the removal of its official X and Instagram accounts.

The move comes shortly after a January executive order by President Trump halting all foreign aid for 90 days, with exceptions for “life-saving humanitarian assistance” approved on January 30 by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

USAID faced further scrutiny when around 60 senior officials were placed on leave last week over allegations of attempting to bypass the foreign aid executive order.

Trump has signaled his intent to dissolve USAID and integrate its functions into the State Department, a proposal that has drawn opposition from some Democratic lawmakers. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Brian Schatz, Chris Coons, and Chris Murphy, in a letter to Rubio, argued that Congress must approve the agency’s dissolution, highlighting concerns about the unauthorized access of sensitive U.S. personnel data and national security risks.

In fiscal year 2023, USAID managed over $40 billion in federal funding, supporting aid projects in over 130 countries, including Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Syria.

Neither the State Department nor USAID has commented on the matter.

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