Published 05/02/2025 20:23 | Edited 05/02/2025 20:24
Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), supported by billionaire Elon Musk, provoked a political crisis in Washington. Opposition parliamentarians accuse the president of acting as a dictator by ignoring Congress and closing an agency created by law. The abrupt cut has interrupted humanitarian programs to combat hunger, HIV/AIDS and the response to global disasters.
On Monday (3), Democratic legislators tried to enter USAID headquarters to obtain information about the agency’s closure, but were prevented by federal agents. The headquarters was emptied, the agency’s website withdrawn from the air and dismissed employees. Musk, who has taken on a growing role in Trump administration, celebrated at X: “I spent the weekend grinding USAID.”
The immediate impact of the measure includes the suspension of essential programs, such as monitoring the food crisis in Africa, which avoided catastrophic names in the 1980s. In addition, medicines and medical supplies that should be delivered to countries in humanitarian crisis are stopped in ports due to stop USAID payments.
“Trump has no authority to dissolve an agency created by law without the approval of Congress. This is a constitutional crisis, ”said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. Parliamentarians have promised to call justice to reverse the decision and block Trump government nominations in the Senate as retaliation.
USAID’s closure is also seen as an attack on US national security. “This directly benefits opponents such as China and Russia, which can occupy the space left by the removal of US assistance,” said Senator Brian Schatz. The agency, created in 1961, was one of the main arms of Humanitarian Diplomacy of the United States.
In addition to USAID, Musk has expanded its influence on the Trump administration, leading an informal group called the Government Efficiency Department (Doge). In another controversial action, his team obtained access to confidential data from the Treasury Department, giving suspicions about the creation of a ‘parallel state’ within the federal administration.
Political analysts warn that USAID’s closure may only be the first step of a larger dismantling of the public machine. Internal reports indicate that Trump studies extinguishing other agencies, including the Department of Education. “This government is creating a governance model where non -elected billionaires make decisions about the country’s future,” said Democratic Deputy Jamie Raskin.
With the imminent judicial dispute, USAID’s closure consolidates itself as one of the largest institutional clashes of the new Trump government. The opposition promises to maintain resistance in the courts and the streets, while Musk continues to expand its mastery over the federal administration.
Source: vermelho.org.br
