Rep. Ilhan Omar Condemns Trump Musk USAID Dismantling

Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar on Tuesday expressed confusion over why Americans support dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency Chair Elon Musk plan to merge USAID’s functions into the State Department, a move that has drawn criticism from Omar and others.

During an interview on “CNN News Central,” host Brianna Keilar asked Omar about her message to those who agree with this move philosophically. Omar responded with strong opposition, criticizing the decision for its potential consequences.

“Well, I don’t understand why they would agree with it philosophically. We are looking at this reckless decision that was made that took away the jobs of so many Americans who are working here in the United States and abroad,” Omar said. “These were people who were locked out of their offices, locked out of their emails. We have crisis response teams that are abroad, that are locked out of the resources that they need in case their lives were in danger. So what Elon Musk is doing is actually risking the lives of Americans by making this decision.”

Omar also downplayed the budget impact of USAID earlier in the segment. “I think what is really important for the American people to understand is that this money really amounts to less than 1% of what our budget is as a country. It is money that goes to the most vulnerable around the world. It is already appropriated and it can’t be re-appropriated,” she said.

She further accused Musk of overstepping his role in government affairs. “And so what we are seeing right now is Elon Musk, a billionaire who is attempting to take away resources from the poorest people around the world. This is someone who is not a government official. He wasn’t elected. He’s not appointed. He holds foreign debt and foreign interests. And so we should all look at this with cautious eyes and with curiosity to understand why he is making these decisions and why he’s being allowed to make these decisions.”

USAID has been responsible for funding various global initiatives, including grants for Palestinian programs, Afghan aid that risks falling into Taliban hands, and indirect support for the Wuhan Institute of Virology. In 2023, the U.S. allocated $68 billion in foreign aid, with over $17 billion going to Ukraine, according to USAID and State Department statistics.

On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was appointed as USAID’s acting administrator. While on a diplomatic visit to El Salvador, Rubio defended the restructuring effort. “We’re spending taxpayer money here,” he told reporters. “These are not donor dollars; these are taxpayer dollars, and we owe the American people the assurance that every dollar we are spending abroad is being spent on something that furthers our national interest. And so far a lot of people who work at USAID have simply refused to cooperate.”

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