Elon Musk’s Aides Gain Access to Sensitive USAID Data Amid Government Overhaul
A tense standoff unfolded at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters on Saturday when aides from Elon Musk’s government-efficiency initiative, known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), demanded access to sensitive agency information. The incident capped a week of escalating tensions between DOGE and USAID, raising questions about the future of the agency, which has been central to U.S. foreign aid efforts since its founding in 1961.
With the Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., nearly empty, the DOGE team, made up of young staffers with tech backgrounds, pushed for entry into a Secure Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF)—a room designed for classified data. Although the personnel files they sought were not classified, accessing the SCIF requires top-level security clearances, which it’s unclear the DOGE team possessed. When security officials resisted, one DOGE staffer called Musk, who reportedly threatened to involve the U.S. Marshals Service. Shortly after, the team gained partial access to the information they sought.
The confrontation followed a wave of administrative leave orders for over 100 USAID employees, including key personnel from the inspector general’s office and public affairs. Internal emails revealed that DOGE attempted to fire staff without due process, sparking further controversy. USAID’s director of employee relations, Nick Gottlieb, refused the directive, only to be placed on administrative leave himself.
Throughout the week, DOGE staff scrutinized USAID’s organizational structure, access logs, and employee databases, aiming to shift the agency’s oversight under the State Department’s foreign assistance bureau. They also removed artwork supporting diversity, equity, and LGBTQ initiatives, signaling a stark shift in agency culture.
The upheaval aligns with President Donald Trump’s broader foreign aid freeze and the influence of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which criticizes USAID for advancing what it calls a “divisive political and cultural agenda.”
In a final blow, Musk posted on X, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die,” after the agency’s website was temporarily shut down and redirected to the State Department’s page.
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