The messages about the aid agency's future were confusing on Monday.
All websites and social media accounts for USAID had been shut down. Early in the morning, a message was sent to the staff: Do not come to work.
Both President Donald Trump and his "efficiency chief" Elon Musk had previously indicated that USAID is high on the list when the US government apparatus is to be significantly cut down.
I've gone through it with him (Trump) in detail and he agrees that we should shut it down, says Musk in an appearance on social media, reported by NBC News on Monday night.
Then Trump had said that USAID is controlled by a bunch of radical crazy people, and Musk had written on X that the aid organization is "a criminal organization".
Without Congressional approval
Musk, who has been tasked with leading the White House unit Doge, which is to streamline and reduce the government apparatus, says nothing about how to legally shut down a federal agency without Congressional approval. Moreover, Musk is neither a federal employee nor an official government official – and thus has a highly unclear position.
President Trump responded late on Monday to criticism of the development in the government apparatus from Democratic Senator Ron Wyden.
Trump said that Musk "cannot and may not" do anything "without our approval".
Later in the day, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, who is on a tour of Central America, announced that he would take over control of USAID, but would delegate the daily work to a subordinate.
I am the acting head of USAID, said Rubio in El Salvador, and simultaneously accused the aid organization of "disobedience" without specifying the accusation.
"Cannot replace the US"
David Isaksson, editor-in-chief of Global Bar Magazine, sees several areas where a potential shutdown of USAID would have a significant impact.
When it comes to the humanitarian part, you cannot replace the US. The EU cannot do it, we're talking about 40 percent of all humanitarian aid, he says.
Corrected: In an earlier version of the text, a misleading formulation occurred, giving the impression that USAID's total budget only went to humanitarian aid. The figure includes development aid as well.
USAID is the US government's aid agency with offices in around 60 countries and operations in around 120 countries.
According to Congress, USAID has over 10,000 employees and a budget of 42.8 billion dollars, equivalent to almost half a billion kronor, which is to go to both humanitarian aid – disaster relief – and long-term development efforts.
