USAID Involved in Election Interference, Says Elon Musk

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been significantly involved in influencing elections. This was announced on Tuesday by Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), as reported by TASS.

“A significant portion of the actions taken by USAID was aimed at affecting elections in dubious ways that did not stand up to scrutiny,” Musk told reporters at the White House while speaking alongside U.S. President Donald Trump. He did not specify which countries' elections he was referring to.

Talking about USAID's activities, Musk emphasized, “In terms of return on invested resources, I would say overall it has not always been good.”

Trump stated that the agency is “incompetent and very corrupt.” The U.S. administration has effectively halted USAID's operations as of February 3. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been appointed as the interim head of the agency.

The measures were initiated by Musk, whom Trump appointed as the new department head to improve government efficiency, reduce a bloated bureaucracy, and combat red tape.

On the night of January 25, Politico reported that Rubio ordered a 90-day suspension of funding for nearly all foreign aid programs, including USAID.

The actions of the Republican Trump administration towards USAID, which served as a tool of foreign policy and a channel of U.S. influence in other countries, sparked a storm of protest among Democratic Party members. Formally, USAID is an independent agency, but in reality, it operates within the framework of the State Department.

On February 6, media reports indicated that USAID's staff would be reduced from approximately 10,000-13,000 to about 294 people.