USAID: Does It Truly Belong In Musk's Woodchipper?

In his post on X about USAID, Elon Musk bragged about feeding the Agency into “the wood chipper” instead of using that time to go to “some great parties.”

By labeling Washington’s global humanitarian agency “a ball of worms,” Musk and the President are putting up a smokescreen to hide the real reason for eliminating it, and it has nothing to do with fulfilling the promise of making America great again. It actually endangers us.

When USAID was created in 1961 by then-President John F. Kennedy, its initial purpose was to provide aid and foster helpful alliances with Eastern Bloc countries in an effort to prevent more countries from falling into the grip of the Soviet Union.

Providing aid to other nations was not an original concept either. Since the days of Frederick the Great of Prussia who ruled from 1740 to 1786, nations have wisely provided assistance to less affluent nations as a good faith gesture to support nation building, ensure loyalty and influence, and secure first dibs on any riches or natural resources offered by the poorer country. Likewise, such aid organizations doubled as listening posts where rumblings of planned revolutions could be detected and nipped in the bud.

For over 60 years, USAID has supported America’s political interests abroad through philanthropic, community-based programs aimed at lifting up marginalized populations. If America abandons these programs, struggling nations who depend on us will look elsewhere, such as China, to secure continued support.  

Contrary to being a radical ball of worms, USAID has secured an economic boon for American prosperity and regional security across the globe. So why would Elon Musk want to shut down this useful agency?

The answer is pretty simple. The president has tasked him with slashing funds in the current federal government to free up enough money to make good on his promise to lower the corporate tax rate, currently 21% down to 15%, and also cut taxes for the ultra-rich. This will require trillions of new dollars which he had originally hoped to gain by removing the debt ceiling, but when that legislation failed to pass despite a Republican majority, he had to come up with a new way to acquire money. Demolishing federal agencies was plan B.

It’s understandable how an agency dedicated to philanthropy might seem like a boondoggle and reasonable target for both Musk and his President—especially if both misunderstand USAID’s usefulness.

According to AP News, “The Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis estimates that, under this president’s tax lowering scheme, the top 0.1% of earners would get a tax cut of $314,000 under a full extension of the individual and estate tax provisions, with the total cost of those tax cuts amounting to $4.2 trillion between 2026 and 2035.” Shuttering USAID would only contribute a mere $72 billion toward that goal while making room for China to step in and fill the gap we’ve left, elevating their nation to the status of greatness in the regions we once supported.