The Staffers Helping Elon Musk Dismantle and Downsize the U.S. Government, One Agency at a Time
ProPublicaFeb 09
Trump Fires USAID Watchdog
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Above: A worker removes the US Agency for International Development sign on its headquarters Feb. 7, 2025. Image copyright: Kayla Bartkowski/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The White House on Tuesday fired Paul Martin, inspector general of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a day after his office claimed that the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID had made it nearly impossible to monitor $8.2B in humanitarian funds.
Martin's report warned that staffing cuts left the agency unable to properly vet programs in conflict zones to prevent funding from reaching extremist groups. In addition, there's reportedly $489M in food assistance at risk of spoilage.
This month, the Trump administration has moved to drastically reduce USAID's workforce from over 10K employees to a few hundred staffers. However, a federal judge has temporarily halted an effort to place 2.2K workers on administrative leave.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Democrats may not like the way the Trump administration is handling its crackdown on fraud and waste, but the president has significant authority over how US tax dollars are spent — and judges are likely to agree with Trump on this matter. USAID has been wasting billions of the US' money, and it was crucial to put an end to this before the situation worsened further.
Democratic narrative
Whether the administration's rapid dismantling of USAID, which threatens vital humanitarian aid programs, is constitutional will be determined by the courts. Just as troubling, though, is Trump's attempt to replace all overseers with loyalists and the chilling effect this has on those whose job it is to independently report on the administration's actions.
