Missteps, Confusion and ‘Viral Waste’: The 14 Days That Doomed U.S.A.I.D. Christopher Flavelle et al. / NY Times
Article shared by Kul Gautam
A gripping blow-by-blow account of how USAID was thrown into the woodchipper, as the world's richest man cheered.
Kul
Click here for the article
Summary
Within two weeks of President Trump’s second inauguration, the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.) was effectively dismantled. The process was chaotic, driven by misinterpretations of executive orders, ideological zeal from political appointees, and direct intervention by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Jason Gray, suddenly named acting administrator, was quickly overwhelmed as the White House froze funding, forced staff removals, and blocked communications.
The article documents a pattern of political overreach, internal resistance, and haphazard enforcement culminating in the shutdown of programs, dismissal of senior staff, and eventual removal of Gray. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, nominally supportive of U.S.A.I.D., became an instrument of its dismantling. Musk announced the agency’s closure online before any formal statement from the White House or State Department.
The events not only gutted a key institution of U.S. foreign policy but also exposed how fragile bureaucratic protections were under political pressure. A federal judge later ruled that the agency’s shuttering “likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways”—but by then, U.S.A.I.D. was gone.
Quotes
“It felt like a betrayal. We owed people in Afghanistan just a little bit of something, and then we failed again.” — Anonymous U.S.A.I.D. staff member
“We spent the weekend feeding U.S.A.I.D. into the wood chipper. Could gone to some great parties. Did that instead.” — Elon Musk, on X
“U.S.A.I.D. is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.” — Elon Musk, on X
“U.S.A.I.D. may move, reorganize, and integrate certain missions, bureaus, and offices into the Department of State. The remainder of the agency may be abolished.” — Official letter signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio
A gripping blow-by-blow account of how USAID was thrown into the woodchipper, as the world's richest man cheered.
Kul
Click here for the article
Summary
Within two weeks of President Trump’s second inauguration, the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.) was effectively dismantled. The process was chaotic, driven by misinterpretations of executive orders, ideological zeal from political appointees, and direct intervention by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Jason Gray, suddenly named acting administrator, was quickly overwhelmed as the White House froze funding, forced staff removals, and blocked communications.
The article documents a pattern of political overreach, internal resistance, and haphazard enforcement culminating in the shutdown of programs, dismissal of senior staff, and eventual removal of Gray. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, nominally supportive of U.S.A.I.D., became an instrument of its dismantling. Musk announced the agency’s closure online before any formal statement from the White House or State Department.
The events not only gutted a key institution of U.S. foreign policy but also exposed how fragile bureaucratic protections were under political pressure. A federal judge later ruled that the agency’s shuttering “likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways”—but by then, U.S.A.I.D. was gone.
Quotes
“It felt like a betrayal. We owed people in Afghanistan just a little bit of something, and then we failed again.” — Anonymous U.S.A.I.D. staff member
“We spent the weekend feeding U.S.A.I.D. into the wood chipper. Could gone to some great parties. Did that instead.” — Elon Musk, on X
“U.S.A.I.D. is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.” — Elon Musk, on X
“U.S.A.I.D. may move, reorganize, and integrate certain missions, bureaus, and offices into the Department of State. The remainder of the agency may be abolished.” — Official letter signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Poor USAID - and the looser is the USA, but those really hurt are all those devoted USAID-workers and their counterparts in the developing world, a crucial part of our common globe.
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