After Donald Trump and Elon Musk expressed the desire to shut down USAID unconstitutionally, Musk put the agency’s security chiefs on leave so he could seize classified government information.
Despite the fact that Musk has been elected to no government position, he appears to be leading the charge to destroy the United States Agency for International Development. The agency was formed 63 years ago by an act of Congress to provide civilian foreign aid, such as disaster relief, poverty relief, and development assistance. It has a budget of over $50 billion, making it one of the world’s most significant and crucial aid agencies. However, since arriving in office, Trump has been fixated on freezing foreign and domestic federal aid without cause. After all, these funds are appropriated by Congress, and many are made up of taxpayers’ dollars. It’s not Trump’s place to seize or steal these funds.
Yet, he froze nearly all foreign aid and shut down USAID’s government website. On February 3, Musk revealed via X that he would shut down USAID because it was “beyond repair.” Although he added that Trump agreed to it, it’s deeply disturbing that a non-elected billionaire somehow thinks he has the authority to shut down a major government agency. Not only that, but he’s also managed to get his hands on classified government information.
Elon Musk forces his way into secure systems
On February 2, agents from Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) showed up at the USAID agency, demanding access to classified information, including personnel files and security systems. However, the director of security and his deputy had a standoff with Musk’s people, refusing them entry because the information was beyond the security level of at least some of the DOGE employees. In response, DOGE employees threatened to call the U.S. Marshals. Subsequently, they put the security workers on administrative leave so Musk could have unrestricted access to these secure systems and classified information.
Meanwhile, this isn’t the only sensitive information Musk has gained access to. He also weaseled his way into the Treasury Department, where he and his DOGE team were given access to federal pay systems that manage the flow of trillions of dollars and include the personal information of millions of Americans. While Musk’s closeness to Trump and interference has raised alarms, his latest actions are the gravest national security threats. Again, no one elected Musk into office. He is an unelected billionaire with countless conflicts of interest who should be barred from any part of the government and not be permitted access to any sensitive information.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sounded the alarm on the grave situation, writing, “Having an unelected billionaire, with his own foreign debts and motives, raiding US classified information is a grave threat to national security.” In response, Angelica Reed commented, “How isn’t this illegal?” It certainly doesn’t seem legal for private citizens with conflicts of interest to access the nation’s classified information, especially when they have to put security chiefs on leave in order to do so.
Musk doesn’t have the right to access these information systems, and he especially has no authority to sidestep Congress by dissolving agencies and cutting federal funding. Even American citizens can see that his actions are unconstitutional and corrupt. It raises the question of when Congress or someone in a position of authority will finally do something before Musk creates irreversible damage.
Published: Feb 3, 2025 11:54 am