1 of 4 | President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s plans to shut down parts of the government continue to expand, placing focus on the system of checks and balances. . Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
Feb. 13 (UPI) — President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s plans to shut down parts of the government continue to expand, placing focus on the system of checks and balances. Despite mounting litigation against the Trump administration, he continues to move forward, announcing his wishes for Musk — head of the Department of Government Efficiency — to continue gutting government agencies. Advertisement
The goal, according to Trump and Musk, is to eliminate wasteful federal spending. However, there is little evidence that any of DOGE’s work so far has any meaningful impact on eliminating waste, fraud or abuse of government funds.
Foreign aid and the federal budget
The Trump administration seeks to furlough thousands of humanitarian aid workers as he folds the United States Agency for International Development into the State Department. The move, combined with an executive order to freeze foreign aid, will cost lives, cause the spread of disease and increase inequity, experts told UPI.
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A federal judge has paused the administration from cutting about 2,200 USAID employees temporarily. The agency was set to retain less than 300 essential employees while putting the rest on administrative leave. District Judge Carl Nichols made the decision to stop the cut before its Friday deadline, but at least 500 workers were not spared.
Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., introduced legislation to shield USAID from Trump and Musk’s purge of federal workers. She is a former State Department employee.
Trump USAID cuts create vacuums of food, medical care for vulnerable populations
