U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) workers were reportedly told not to report to work on Monday after Elon Musk claimed that President Donald Trump agreed with him to shut down the agency.
At least 600 personnel said they were locked out of the USAID's database overnight while staffers with access received emails that said headquarters "will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, Feb. 3," the Associated Press reported.
The USAID's website abruptly went dark on Sunday as Trump froze U.S. foreign aid.
Billionaire Elon Musk is looking for ways to cut federal spending through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In a live X chat, Musk claimed Trump "agreed we should shut it down."
The U.S. is the world's largest donor of humanitarian aid but spends less than 1% of its budget on foreign assistance. That aid is funneled through USAID.
Musk said harsh words about the 60-year-old department that gives humanitarian, development and security assistance to nearly 120 countries.
"It became apparent that it's not an apple with a worm in it," he said. "What we have is just a ball of worms. You've got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It's beyond repair."
The Trump administration placed two top-ranking security officials at USAID on leave after they refused to turn over classified information in restricted computer systems to DOGE, according to the Associated Press.
"It's been run by a bunch of radical lunatics," Trump said to the press Sunday night. "And we're getting them out."
Democrats argue that Trump does not have the authority to shut down USAID without Congressional approval.
