Exclusive: Oversight Dems open probe into Trump's USAID purge
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Supporters of USAid rally on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 5. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee launched an inquiry Friday into the Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Why it matters: The speed at which USAID, the U.S. government's lead humanitarian aid arm, has been gutted has stunned U.S. allies and humanitarian groups around the world.
- The teardown of USAID, coupled with the administration's freeze on foreign aid, is posed to endanger millions of lives around the world and diminish U.S. influence.
Driving the news: Ranking member Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and committee member Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) on Friday outlined the scope and goals of the probe in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio — the new acting administrator of USAID.
- The letter accused the Trump administration of engaging in an "opaque and Orwellian effort to dismantle" USAID, noting the illegitimacy of eliminating the agency without Congressional authorization.
- It also urged the administration to reverse course on its foreign aid freeze and to "restore the functions, leadership, and employees of USAID."
Zoom in: The letter requested that Rubio provide documented answers by Feb. 20 to a series of questions about Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency's activities and the aid freeze.
- This would include a "comprehensive explanation of the legal authorities" used by Musk and the DOGE team to dismantle USAID, as well as details about Musk and DOGE staffers' "federal employment status."
- It also requested further details about the exemptions carved out of the foreign aid freeze, the criteria being used to determine which programs should be eliminated, and how the freeze has impacted different foreign aid programs.
The big picture: Both President Trump and Musk have railed against USAID, which has been targeted by Musk's DOGE, which is not an official government entity but has rushed through the federal bureaucracy looking for spending cuts.
- Republicans have sought to portray USAID as overly-aligned with liberal values and ideologies.
- Earlier this week it was announced that all direct hires at the agency, abroad and at home, would be placed on administrative leave by the end of Friday.
- The Trump administration intends to only keep a few hundred employees on at the agency, a vast reduction from the more than 10,000 it previously employed, Reuters reported.
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