Happy New Year 2025

Tag: USAID

‘Spreading Atheism’: Vance warns religious efforts abroad ‘corrupted’ by US bureaucracy amid USAID controversy

Vice President JD Vance slammed U.S. bureaucracy that has “corrupted” aid programs to foreign nations amid the Trump administration’s investigation into USAID waste, directing his ire at a recent revelation that the government had funded a program to promote atheism — or disbelief in God or gods — in Nepal.

“In recent years, too often has our nation’s international engagement on religious liberty issues been corrupted and distorted to the point of absurdity,” Vance, who is Catholic, said at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. “Think about it: How did America get to a point where we’re sending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars abroad to NGOs that are dedicated to spreading atheism all over the globe? That is not what leadership on protecting the rights of the faithful looks like.”

Vance did not mention the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) by name in his speech to the religious crowd and those working to advocate for religious liberty in the U.S. and around the world.

The forum was held as USAID faces an apparent dismantling as Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) pore over the agency’s financial records to suss out government overspending and corruption.

USAID’s website was shut down in early February, replaced with a message on Tuesday evening outlining how “direct-hire personnel” will be placed on leave Friday, except those on “mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.”

‘SESAME STREET IN IRAQ’: USAID’S ‘WASTEFUL AND DANGEROUS’ SPENDING EXPOSED BY SENATOR

Vice President JD Vance slammed U.S. bureaucracy that has “corrupted” aid programs to foreign nations. (Getty Images)

Vance’s comment focusing on nongovernmental organizations using taxpayer funds to promote atheism around the globe is likely referring to a $500,000 grant solicited by the State Department in 2021, under the Biden administration. The grant hit the nation’s radar in 2024, when Republican House lawmakers sounded the alarm that the State Department was participating in a “pattern of obfuscation and denial” related to efforts to promote atheism on the world stage.

‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Brian Mast, R-Fla., wrote in a letter sent to then-State Department Deputy Secretary Richard Verma in May 2024: “We write to address what the Department has now acknowledged were its misrepresentations made to Congress about the scope and nature of programming that – for the first time in US diplomatic history – has sought to promote atheism overseas under the guise of ‘religious freedom.’”

“In recent years, too often has our nation’s international engagement on religious liberty issues been corrupted and distorted to the point of absurdity,” said Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic. (Getty Images)

The lawmakers were referring to the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor grant for $500,000, titled “Promoting and Defending Religious Freedom Inclusive of Atheist, Humanist, Non-Practicing and Non-Affiliated Individuals.” Fox News Digital reviewed an archived web link for the grant on Thursday, which detailed that the U.S. was working to “support Religious Freedom globally,” including to “combat discrimination, harassment and abuses against atheist, humanist, non-practicing and non-affiliated individuals of all religious communities.”

The State Department’s announcement for the grant reads: “DRL’s goal is to ensure everyone enjoys religious freedom, including the freedom to dissent from religious belief and to not practice or adhere to a religion. By not adhering to a predominant religious tradition, many individuals face discrimination in employment, housing, in civil and criminal proceedings, and other areas especially in the context of intersectional identities.”

The vice president’s comment focusing on nongovernmental organizations using taxpayer funds to promote atheism around the globe is likely referring to a $500,000 grant solicited by the State Department in 2021. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency)

The grant was awarded to Humanists International, a UK-based group that works to promote secularism and humanism, a philosophy that does not include a belief in God.

The State Department’s funding announcement opportunity detailed how the program was expected to increase “capacity among members of atheist and heterodox individuals to form or join networks or organizations.”

FEDS SPENT MILLIONS STUDYING TRANS MENSTRUATION, STRENGTHENING GAY RIGHTS IN THE BALKANS, DATABASE REVEALS

Fox News Digital reached out to Humanists International on Thursday morning regarding the grant and Vance’s comments but did not immediately receive a reply.

Vice President JD Vance said that the Trump administration will not only restore religious liberty but expand it. (Getty Images)

GOP HARDLINERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP, MUSK SCALING BACK USAID

“But this administration is intent on not just restoring, but on expanding the achievements of the first four years, and certainly in the last two weeks,” he continued. “And in this short period, the president has issued orders to end the weaponization of the federal government against religious Americans.”

Elon Musk is heading up the Department of Government Efficiency. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

“Pardon pro-life protesters who were unjustly imprisoned under the last administration,” he said. “And importantly, stop the federal censorship used to prevent Americans from speaking their conscience and speaking their mind, whether it’s in their communities or online.”

“Now, our administration believes we must stand for religious freedom, not just as a legal principle, as important as that is, but as a lived reality both within our own borders and especially outside,” he continued.

FLASHBACK: BIDEN ADMIN REPEATEDLY USED USAID TO PUSH ABORTION IN AFRICA

Vance’s speech was followed by a virtual address from actor Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute in “The Office,” to discuss his Baha’i faith and the persecution of fellow adherents in Iran.

Democrats have seethed over the work of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, holding protests outside government offices in Washington, D.C., and across the country. (Getty Images)

Government funding directed to left-wing initiatives through agencies such as USAID or the State Department has come under the microscope recently, as DOGE launched investigations to cut government fat. Secretary of State Marco Rubio took over as acting director of USAID on Monday, telling the media that the agency needs to fall in line with Trump’s “America First” policies, which includes using taxpayer funds to strengthen U.S. communities rather than sending cash overseas.

Democrats have seethed over DOGE’s work, holding protests outside government offices in Washington, D.C., and across the country to declare that they will fight the efforts tooth and nail.

USAID EMPLOYEE SAYS STAFFERS HID PRIDE FLAGS, ‘INCRIMINATING’ BOOKS WHEN DOGE ARRIVED

“What we are witnessing here is the biggest heist in American history,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said on Tuesday during one rally.

People protesting against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. ( Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images )

“This is the most corrupt bargain we’ve ever seen in American history: Elon Musk gives $250 million to elect Donald Trump, and Donald Trump turns over the keys to United States government to Elon Musk and his billionaire friends and his cronies,” Van Hollen continued in his remarks outside the Treasury Department.

“We have to fight this in the courts, we have to fight this in the Congress, we have to fight this in the streets. We need to fight this all over America.”

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., added, “Shut down the city! We are at war!”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said during a news interview of DOGE’s work at USAID, “The level of disrespect actually is criminal, because there are crisis-response teams that are around the world that really rely on having access to their emails – having access to apps that they can utilize if there’s danger to them.”

Protesters have slammed Musk as a “fascist” who was not elected to federal office yet holds sway with the White House in his role at DOGE.

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Musk trolled Democrats and government employees amid the protests on Wednesday when he changed his X bio to state that he is working as “White House Tech Support” as his DOGE team reviews the federal government’s various computer systems.

February 6, 2025
DOGE’s crackdown on USAID catches attention of US enemies and allies

President Donald Trump’s second administration has made the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) a prime target for spending cuts. Under Trump, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is taking a serious look at the foreign aid agency — and America’s allies and enemies alike are taking notice.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital at the United Nations, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó didn’t hide his disdain for USAID. While insisting that he was not interested in interfering with US domestic issues, Szijjártó did speak about what he saw from the agency under former President Joe Biden.

“The former administration couldn’t digest that we weren’t ready to give up our national positions. We were not ready to give up representing our national interests,” Szijjártó told Fox News Digital. “And we were not ready to give up our non-liberal, patriotic, conservative type of approach.”

Former President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

Szijjártó also accused the Biden administration of using USAID to “destabilize the situation in other countries” and to fund “programs which were totally alien and strange compared to the culture and the heritage of other countries.”

“If you ask me whether it’s good to us that there’s a revision period of 90 days when it comes to payments regarding USAID and others, we are very happy,” Szijjártó added.

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a longtime ally of Trump, also ripped USAID after it was reported that the agency was funding Politico.

Prime Minister Orbán followed up in another tweet saying, “We had to endure for years that the ultra-progressive, self-proclaimed human rights champions of the mainstream media demonized Patriotic political forces for years. They did it because they were paid to do so by USAID and the previous, left-wing US administration. I agree with President [Trump]: this is too big and too dirty to hide from.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during Wednesday’s press briefing that “more than $8 million taxpayer dollars” went to Politico, adding that DOGE is “working on canceling those payments.” However, the publication denied that it has ever been a “beneficiary of government programs.”

Musk, who is heading up Trump’s cost-cutting efforts through DOGE, described the agency as a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America.”

Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

MEET THE BIDEN-ERA USAID LEADER FACING BACKLASH AMID MUSK’S DOGE CRACKDOWN

On Monday, Trump’s White House issued a list of examples of “waste and abuse” at USAID. This included $6M to fund tourism in Egypt, $1.5M in funding for DEI programs in Serbia’s workplaces, $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia and more.

The White House also accused the agency of spending “hundreds of millions of dollars” on “irrigation canals, farming equipment, and even fertilizer used to support the unprecedented poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan,” adding that this was “benefiting the Taliban.”

Trump and Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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At the end of its list, the White House noted that the highlighted examples were part of a longer list of projects.

“Under President Trump, the waste, fraud, and abuse ENDS NOW,” the White House added.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

February 6, 2025
‘Damn right’: Liz Cheney’s past USAID employment faces backlash after lashing out at Elon Musk

Former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney was ripped by conservatives on social media after she defended her previous work at USAID, which became the most prominent target of DOGE in recent days, in an exchange on X that drew the attention of DOGE’s leader, Elon Musk.

“Damn right, @Elon,” Cheney said on X in response to Musk, tagging an account that does not belong to Musk, on Wednesday. “I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy. Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen.”

Musk had written “interesting” in response to a post from Foundation For Freedom Online Executive Director Mike Benz, who had written that Cheney was “spawned” out of USAID, citing her previous position as an officer for the embattled and now seemingly shuttered agency.

Cheney spent time at USAID working within embassies related to efforts in Poland, Hungary, Russia and Ukraine.

MEET THE YOUNG TEAM OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS SLASHING GOVERNMENT WASTE AT DOGE: REPORT

Former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney was criticized on social media after responding to Elon Musk regarding the USAID controversy. (Getty Images)

Several conservatives on social media took issue with Cheney’s comment and defended Musk against any implication that he is “unfamiliar” with U.S. history.

“He is an American by choice instead of by birth, which is a weird thing to insult someone over, but more importantly, he didn’t commit so many crimes against the country that he had to be pardoned by Joe Biden, so he’s got that going for him,” Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway posted on X.

“You care more about illegals coming to this country stealing from this country than @elon giving to this country,” former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones posted on X.

“Ya, but he was around when your daddy was making the military industrial complex billions sending me and my buddies to die chasing the ghosts of WMDs in Iraq,” Fox News contributor Joey Jones posted on X.

WHO IS SAMANTHA POWER? MEET THE BIDEN-ERA USAID LEADER FACING BACKLASH AMID MUSK’S DOGE CRACKDOWN

The flag of the U.S. Agency for International Development flies in front of its office in Washington, D.C., Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“Love the anti-immigrant sentiment from Liz,” Right Turn Strategies President Chris Barron posted on X. “Funny how they always end up being everything they claim their opponents are.”

“The fact Elon said a single word and was able to set you off tells me a lot, Liz,” Twitchy.com editor Samantha Janney posted on X. “What’s also revealing is your connection to USAID. Damn proud of WY for firing you.”

“What a xenophobe,” Breitbart senior editor Joel Pollak posted on X. “Pure bigotry.”

“From Liz Cheney to Barack Obama, a lot of people still don’t appreciate how much of America’s political aristocracy class grew up in USAID families,” Benz posted on X earlier this week.

The online debate about Cheney’s time at USAID comes after Musk’s DOGE efforts have resulted in the agency being effectively shut down over what the Trump administration argues is wasteful spending.

“For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight,” the White House said Monday.

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Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns with former Rep. Liz Cheney on Oct. 21, 2024, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The future of USAID remains unclear, though the doors to its headquarters were closed Monday, and thousands of employees across the globe sat waiting to hear whether they still had jobs after the apparent Musk takeover.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been named the acting director, and he agreed Monday with the White House that the agency needed an overhaul.

“The president made me the acting administrator,” he told Fox News. “I’ve delegated that power to someone who is there full time, and we’re going to go through the same process at USAID as we’re going through now at the State Department.”

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

February 6, 2025
Former USAID official Mark Moyar says ‘corruption’ at agency ‘subverted’ Trump White House

In President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was rife with “corrruption” as staffers were intent on “subverting the president’s will,” on policy matters and sending taxpayer dollars overseas to further DEI and LGBT advocacy initiatives, a former USAID official told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“A lot of them were beholden or had ties to the previous administration, the Obama administration, [and] the large majority of them had voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016,” Mark Moyar, who worked in the department from 2018 to 2019, said.

“Now some of them did as they were told, but there was a large resistance element. And in one case, I was at a meeting, and they talked about how there was this aid going into Syria, and we needed to hide it from the White House, because we don’t want President Trump finding out about it and canceling it.”

“They apparently just forgot I was in the room,” he added.

WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?

Mark Moyar details his experience dealing with “corruption” and government waste on leftist ideologies during his tenure at USAID from 2018 to 2019. (Getty Images)

Moyar resigned from his position in July 2019 after his security clearance was suspended due to a dispute over him publishing a book – “Oppose Any Foe: The Rise of America’s Special Operations Forces” – before the Defense Department was able to complete a prepublication review for potentially classified information, according to a court document.

While USAID did not officially terminate his employment, Moyar said he was effectively “fired” without due process. He has also alleged that the suspension of his security clearance was a form of retaliation for reporting waste, fraud and abuse within the agency.

Moyar said significant amounts of money were being spent at USAID without the knowledge of political appointees. He described a case from 2019, “more than halfway through the administration,” where officials discovered a “big slush fund that none of his political appointees knew about.”

Once it was exposed, they were able to take action, but he emphasized that such issues were widespread across the agency. He also pointed to numerous conflicts of interest, where employees used their positions to benefit private businesses in which they had a stake – something he described as “totally illegal.”

MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

Elon Musk speaks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and guests at a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship, in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., November 19, 2024 . (Brandon Bell/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)

Moyar explained that what ultimately led to getting in trouble at the department was reporting an office director who was not only using his role to assist a specific company but was also “the Chairman of the Board of that company.” Despite previous reports being made about the misconduct, he said no action was taken. Instead, he said the agency “helped him find employment at another federal agency, the Department of Defense, so he ends up OK.”

“Meanwhile, they come after me and try to accuse me of publishing classified information and use that as a pretext to have me fired,” Moya said. “And I’m 100% sure this is fraudulent. I’ve actually sued the government to turn over the records, and still, five years later, the Department of Justice is fighting me. But it’s part of a larger pattern where the people who report the corruption are the ones who get kicked out, and the ones who are engaged in corruption thrive within the organization.”

Moyar added this is part of why such “radical” changes are happening in real time at the USAID, as Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – the government accountability unit headed by billionaire Elon Musk – effectively shut down the $40 billion agency on Monday.

The former director also detailed instances of government waste dating back to Trump’s first term, saying it;s “so important to get into the records of the agency” to determine how many taxpayer dollars have been used on wasteful initiatives.

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY

An illustration of Elon Musk, Donald Trump and a USAID flag. (Getty Images)

Uncovering the full extent of DEI-related spending at USAID will take significant effort, as much of it has been “disguised or rebranded,” Moyar said. He noted that while it’s clear a “huge amount” has already been spent, the actual figure is likely even higher. He also criticized the push for DEI abroad, calling it not only a “ridiculous ideology” but one that is actively harming U.S. relations with other countries. “Most other countries look at this DEI stuff and say, ‘This is crazy,’” he said, adding that efforts to promote a “radical LGBTQ agenda” overseas have sometimes been met with resistance.

“So I think we’re going to find a great amount of waste, fraud and abuse, especially because the Inspector General, I think, has been asleep at the wheel,” Moyar said. “In the weeks and months to come, we’re going to hear a lot of horror stories about how USAID has been misusing the money.”

USAID was set up in the early 1960s to act on behalf of the U.S. to deliver aid across the globe, particularly in impoverished and underdeveloped regions. The Trump administration alleges that much of the spending has been wasteful, promoting a liberal agenda around the world.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department, Department of Defense and USAID for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

February 6, 2025
Liz Cheney to Elon Musk regarding her past work at USAID: ‘Damn Right’

Former Rep. Liz Cheney emphatically acknowledged her past work for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) when responding to a tweet by Elon Musk.

Musk, who is spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to slash government waste and fraud, has the agency in his crosshairs.

“Interesting,” Musk wrote in response to a post in which Mike Benz, founder and executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, said Cheney had been “spawned out of USAID.” Benz shared a screenshot from an article that said Cheney had worked at the agency.

“Damn right, @Elon. I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy. Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen,” Cheney declared when retweeting Musk.

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY

Left: Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington D.C., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024; Right: Elon Musk arrives to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Left: William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images; Right: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Benz shared screenshots of Cheney’s post and of Musk’s post, and wrote, “‘Damn right I was spawned out of USAID.’ – Liz Cheney.”

“No kidding,” Musk replied when retweeting Benz.

President Donald Trump shared a screenshot of Musk’s post on Truth Social.

The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress notes that Cheney was a staffer at USAID from 1989-1992.

She was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

BIDEN AWARDS LIZ CHENEY, JAN 6 COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN A MEDAL: US ‘IS BETTER BECAUSE OF THEIR DEDICATION’

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., at a town hall at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on Oct. 21, 2024, in Royal Oak, Mich. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

Last year she endorsed, and even campaigned with, former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate who lost to Trump.

During her congressional tenure, Cheney served on the House Select Committee that probed the Jan. 6 episode.

President Joe Biden, who awarded Cheney the Presidential Citizens Medal, pardoned lawmakers and staffers who served on the committee out of concern that they could be targeted in “politically motivated prosecutions.”

WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?

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During a recent X spaces, Musk said that unlike an apple contaminated by a worm, USAID is “a bowl of worms.”

“There is no apple,” he said. “It’s beyond repair.”

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

February 6, 2025
Trump allies push Education Dept rollback after DOGE crackdown of USAID

Congressional allies of President Donald Trump have rallied around his and Elon Musk’s efforts to roll back the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Now, they’re urging the administration to set its sights on another core agency.

“I think the conversation about the Department of Education getting drastically cut is the right conversation,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital. “I trust the Tennessee General Assembly to craft curriculums for Tennessee students more than I do the California or the D.C. legislative bodies. And I think we all face that back home.”

Republican lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital this week named several federal offices that they wanted to see audited or scaled back by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., rattled off a list of suggestions when speaking to Fox News Digital, “OSHA, EPA, Department of Education, ATF.”

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

Reps. Brandon Gill, left, and Andy Ogles, right, are among those who want to see Elon Musk and President Trump audit or roll back the Department of Education. (Getty)

But most coalesced around the Department of Education as a worthy next target, amid rumors that Trump could soon sign an executive order dismantling the Cabinet agency.

“In order to get buy in, you could eliminate the Department of Education, but you would take at least a portion of the money and give it back to the states in the form of block grants or something like that,” Biggs suggested.

Freshman Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said, “I think we need to get rid of the Department of Education. We need to get rid of the ATF. I’ve co-sponsored bills to do that for both of those.”

He said the Department of Education was a “good place to start,” accusing it of sinking millions of taxpayer dollars into diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and other progressive causes.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order eliminating the Department of Education. (Evan Vucci/AP)

“I mean, the American people are sick of funding left-wing activism with their taxpayer dollars,” Gill said.

Conservatives have long been critical of the Cabinet department, which first opened its doors in 1980 after President Jimmy Carter split it off from what is now the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Education Department should’ve been gone or reined in a long time ago,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C.

He said he hoped Musk would “put a dollar tag on it, trace the money, where it’s going.”

A bill introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., this week to eliminate the Department of Education already has 30 House GOP co-signers.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS

Rep. Thomas Massie reintroduced his bill this week to eliminate the Department of Education. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested on Wednesday there was an appetite for Congress to back up Trump if he follows through with an executive order on the department.

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“The teachers unions will viciously fight, of course, any idea of disbanding the federal Department of Education. But I think the principle is one whose time has come. We’ve all seen the ratings. I mean, the U.S. is falling far behind other countries because the system is not working,” Johnson said in response to a question by Fox News Digital.

The speaker stressed that further details were necessary, but added, “You’re going to see a lot of support among House and I think Senate Republicans, for the general idea of pushing the decisions down, back down to the local level. I think that’s something that would serve us all well.”

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

February 6, 2025
Trump House allies want frozen USAID funds used to deport illegal immigrants

EXCLUSIVE: A group of House Republicans is pushing for Congress to reroute foreign aid funding frozen by President Donald Trump into enhanced deportation efforts of illegal immigrants in the U.S.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is unveiling his Restoring American Sovereignty Act on Thursday, backed by fellow House Freedom Caucus members Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.

“Americans were put last at nearly every turn during the Biden administration. This was evidenced by the criminal crossing crisis at our southern border and the wasteful distribution of taxpayer dollars by agencies like USAID,” Ogles said.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

A group of House Republicans wants to use President Trump’s foreign aid freeze to add more funding toward illegal immigrant deportation efforts. (Getty/AP)

He said his bill would “utilize the USAID funding paused by President Trump to deport illegal aliens from the United States.”

Tiffany said the bill “ensures our tax dollars fund Americans’ security” and called the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) an “international money laundering scheme.”

“America has spent billions of taxpayer dollars funding Democrats’ pet projects in countries that despise us and everything we stand for,” Biggs said.

Trump paused most foreign aid for a period of 90 days to give his new administration time to evaluate what money going overseas aligns with his agenda.

Rep. Andy Ogles is leading the bill, which is co-sponsored by Reps. Andy Biggs and Tom Tiffany. (Michael M. Santiago)

He and Secretary of State Marco Rubio included carve-outs for emergency needs.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiated a crackdown on USAID earlier this week. As of Friday, Feb. 7, nearly all of USAID’s overseas employees will be put on administrative leave.

Republicans have argued that USAID has long been mismanaged and that it was sending U.S. taxpayer dollars to LGBTQ initiatives and other social causes overseas. They have also accused the agency of stonewalling GOP oversight efforts.

Democrats have heavily criticized the rollback, attacking Musk as an un-elected bureaucrat whose businesses also rely on government contracts. They’ve also argued that freezing USAID funding imperils critical initiatives like cancer and HIV research in Africa.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS

Ogles’ bill is a brief two pages, stating that “funds paused pursuant to” Trump’s executive order on foreign aid “may be made available and used by the President to deport illegal aliens from the United States,” according to legislative text viewed by Fox News Digital.

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The Tennessee Republican is one of Trump’s most vocal allies in the House of Representatives.

Last month, he introduced a bill to authorize Trump to buy Greenland and a constitutional amendment paving the way for him to have a third White House term.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

February 6, 2025
Who is Samantha Power? Meet the Biden-era USAID leader facing backlash amid Musk’s DOGE crackdown

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has recently become the target of Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts to slash government waste and spending, bringing increased scrutiny to the record of Samantha Power, the agency’s administrator during almost the entire Biden administration.

Power, who previously served as the United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017 in the Obama administration after serving on his National Security Council, took the reins of USAID in the early days of the Biden administration and was tasked with overseeing the tens of billions of dollars budgeted for foreign aid.

“One of the most pressing challenges facing our nation is restoring and strengthening America’s global leadership as a champion of democracy, human rights, and the dignity of all people,” then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said in a statement at the time of Power’s appointment. “Few Americans are better equipped to help lead that work than Ambassador Samantha Power.”

Power was directly involved in the Obama administration’s surveillance of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and sought to obtain Michael Flynn’s redacted identity using an “unmasking” request on at least seven occasions, Fox News Digital previously reported, despite testifying under oath before the House Intelligence Committee that she had “no recollection” of ever making such a request even once.

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Samantha Power led USAID from 2021-2025. (Getty Images)

Fox News reported in 2017 that Power was “unmasking” at such a rapid pace in the final months of the Obama administration that she averaged more than one request for every working day in 2016, and she even sought information in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration, according to multiple sources close to the matter.

Power’s tenure at USAID was also not without controversy, even from her own party, including an incident in which she faced a public revolt from current and former staff in 2024 over her support of Israel.

Critics also took issue with her repeatedly meeting with influential liberal foundations while serving in her role at USAID, which Fox News Digital reported in 2023, included George Soros’ Open Society Foundations at least two times, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at least five times, and meetings with several other powerful groups like Ford and Rockefeller foundations.

Power’s supporters say she has played a critical role in providing U.S. assistance to war-torn areas like Ukraine and Gaza along with aiding the relief of humanitarian crises that have developed in places like Haiti, Armenia and Sudan.

“The best testament to USAID’s contribution is the surge in PRC-backed and Russian-backed propaganda maligning USAID and our work around the world,” Power said in an exit interview with Politico last month. “And it’s really picked up a lot over the last year and a half. We counted 81 malicious and false propaganda campaigns, really dedicated campaigns, aimed at denigrating USAID and our reputation. So we’re doing something that is getting on their nerves.”

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

Samantha Power, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, delivers a speech during a visit to El Salvador on June 14, 2021. (REUTERS/Jose Cabezas)

Power, who is married to former Obama administration official and professor Cass Sunstein, added, “We are an agency that has thousands of people around the world representing the United States, both because it’s in the interests of the American people to have health systems that are more secure and can spot infectious diseases and tackle them, to change regulations so it’s easier for American businesses to invest, but also to show up and to show the importance of investing in the partnership — and not investing in a manner that just leaves countries saddled with debt.”

USAID has been increasingly questioned by Republicans over its alleged funding of research relating to the coronavirus at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, as well as millions in aid that supports LGBT rights abroad and dozens of millions of dollars for migrant crises in other countries, like the nearly $45 million slated to provide emergency food assistance and economic support for Venezuelan migrants in Colombia.

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Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall on Oct. 26, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Democrats counter that the agency plays a vital role in U.S. national security interests and say it should remain independent. They point to the work USAID did to counter Soviet influence during the Cold War, a sphere of influence that could remain a concern amid China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Tech billionaire and DOGE Chair Elon Musk has been on a warpath against USAID, which is an independent U.S. agency that was established under the Kennedy administration to administer economic aid to foreign nations, as he leads DOGE’s mission of cutting government fat and overspending at the federal level.

Musk announced in an audio-only message on X over the weekend that “we’re in the process” of “shutting down USAID.”

“On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs,” USAID’s website currently says. “Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00pm (EST).”

A Fox News Digital review of USAID’s recent history shows that it has repeatedly been accused of financial mismanagement and corruption long before Trump’s second administration, with spending that took place under Power’s reign likely to continue to be a focus of conversation with Republicans.

The USAID flag flies in front of the USAID office in Washington on Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., sent a letter to Power in October 2024, sounding the alarm on the “likely misuse of more than one billion dollars in U.S. humanitarian aid sent to Gaza since October 2023,” Fox Digital reported at the time.

A Syrian national named Mahmoud Al Hafyan, 53, was charged in November 2024 for allegedly diverting more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid to terrorist groups, including the Al-Nusrah Front. The Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, is a designated terrorist organization with ties to al-Qaeda, according to the State Department.

The Government Accountability Office published a report in 2023 finding that both USAID and the National Institutes of Health directed taxpayer funds to American universities and a nonprofit organization before the money found its way to Chinese groups, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Eight auditors and employees for the USAID inspector general’s office sounded the alarm to the Washington Post in 2014 that negative findings surrounding the agency’s work were removed from final reports and audits.

Trump repeatedly proposed slashing the nation’s foreign aid budget for USAID and the State Department during his first administration, including proposing in his first year in office to slash the budgets by 37%, which Congress rejected.

“With $20 trillion in debt, the government must learn to tighten its belt,” Trump said in 2017 while advocating for the cuts.

Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Power sat down with late-night host Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night and defended USAID’s work and warned against shutting it down, claiming that children overseas in line for tuberculosis treatment were told to go home as a result of Trump’s executive order.

“Programs that were running, the people we’re depending on, in some cases, for life-saving medicine, like medicine, if you have HIV, that keeps you alive, quite literally,” Power told Colbert. “Or if you’re in Sudan and you have a child who’s wasting away because of malnutrition, a miracle paste, a peanut paste that USAID provides brings that kid back from the brink of death. All of those programs are shuttered.”

Democrat lawmakers took part in a rally against DOGE on Tuesday outside the Treasury Department, arguing that Musk’s actions are unconstitutional and a threat to Democracy.

“My heart is with the people out on the street outside USAID, but my head tells me, ‘Man, Trump will be well satisfied to have this fight,’” veteran strategist David Axelrod, who served with Power in the Obama administration, said this week. “When you talk about cuts, the first thing people say is: Cut foreign aid.”

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall, Emma Colton and Gregg Re contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

February 5, 2025
Social media, Team Trump react to Cory Booker’s ‘meltdown’ over Elon Musk’s USAID crackdown

Social media users are slamming a Democratic senator’s impassioned speech opposing a halt to millions of taxpayer dollars being funneled to controversial, DEI-aligned programs overseas.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke at a rally outside the Capitol building Wednesday in protest of Elon Musk’s sweep of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“We will fight their violation of civil service laws. We will fight their violation of civil rights laws. We will fight their violations of separation of powers. We will fight their violations of our Constitution of the United States of America,” Booker said. “We will not shut up. We will stick up. We will rise up.”

Trump’s rapid response team called out Booker for opposing cuts to the agency funding controversial programs, which, according to the White House, gave $1.5 million to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”

‘SESAME STREET IN IRAQ’: USAID’S ‘WASTEFUL AND DANGEROUS’ SPENDING EXPOSED BY SENATOR

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks at a rally in support of USAID on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla)

“Why is Cory Booker so angry at the idea of making sure American tax dollars are spent to further the national interest of the United States and not on things like ‘LGBT activism’ in Guatemala?” Team Trump wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“Cory Booker is having an absolute meltdown because we don’t want American tax dollars to be wasted on bizarre projects in foreign countries,” LibsofTikTok wrote.

WHITE HOUSE FLAGS TOP USAID BOONDOGGLES UNDER ELON MUSK’S MICROSCOPE

New Jersey state Sen. Mike Testa, a Republican, wrote that Booker is “grandstanding on behalf of foreign pet projects” instead of “standing up for the will of his constituents.”

“New Jerseyans have been kicked in the face and forgotten by their United States Senators for years,” Testa said on X. “We deserve a hell of a lot better.”

“Sen. Cory Booker is BIG MAD that lesbian dance therapy for Ethiopians will no longer be paid for by US tax dollars Why are Democrats like this?” wrote another user, Nick Sorter.

The White House released a detailed report outlining USAID spending over the past few years, including $15 million on contraceptives and condoms that ended up in the hands of the Taliban and another $20 million allocated to fund Sesame Street in Iraq.

The funds were awarded by the Biden administration to a nonprofit called Sesame Workshop to produce a show called “Ahlan Simsim Iraq” in an effort to reportedly “promote inclusion, mutual respect, and understanding across ethnic, religious, and sectarian groups.”

Protesters gathered outside the Capitol Monday rally against Elon Musk’s crackdown on USAID spending. (Fox News Digital)

Musk has been leading the charge to expose and cut funding from USAID as part of his spending crackdown at the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency.

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Hundreds of activists, including several Democratic members of Congress, gathered Wednesday to protest the USAID cuts and criticize Musk’s role in the Trump administration.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 5, 2025
USAID activists say stopping ‘corporate welfare’ outweighs ending funds to terror-linked groups

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Protesters rallying against the sweep of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) say that ending “corporate welfare” should be prioritized over looking at money being reportedly funneled to terror-linked groups.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been conducting a review of “waste” identified within USAID, the government agency that handles the distribution of foreign aid.

According to an analysis by the Middle East Forum, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the USAID and State Department have funneled at least $122 million to groups aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters. A White House report also identified $15 million of taxpayer dollars being spent on condoms for the Taliban, a known terrorist group.

On Wednesday, Fox News Digital asked individuals protesting the USAID cuts outside the U.S. Capitol their thoughts about the agency reportedly funding terrorist-aligned groups.

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Fox News Digital spoke with individuals protesting the sweep of USAID. (Fox News Digital)

“I don’t want to hear anything about funding until we stop corporate welfare,” one protester, who was wearing a mask, told Fox News Digital.

“I think before we talk about funding that we’re sending off to other countries or devoting to poor people in this country that need help,” he added, “we need to talk about the billions in subsidies that we give to corporations like Tesla, like Space X.”

Another individual, also wearing a mask, said giving money to issues that don’t prioritize helping Americans is “crazy.”

“We need to be worrying about our people. We’re not out here giving money to help our people here and suffering,” they told Fox. “Any money going toward other issues is just crazy.”

Protesters gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Monday to rally against Elon Musk’s crackdown on USAID spending. (Fox News Digital)

Asked about funding to terrorist-linked groups, Michael, a member of Veterans for Peace, said, “Funding has to be looked at, but I would suspect that that’s a very small minority of the funding that the U.S. does.”

“Foreign aid is less than 1% of the U.S. budget. So it’s a very small monetary number,” he added. “And like all programs, it needs to be evaluated every so often. And I think that the small number of programs who supposedly are connected with unsavory type groups are in the minority.”

WHITE HOUSE FLAGS TOP USAID BOONDOGGLES UNDER ELON MUSK’S MICROSCOPE

The protesters all expressed opposition to Musk’s role in the Trump administration as he spearheads efforts to cut costs within the federal government.

“If the White House would take the time to look at where the funding goes, I think they’d be more than happy with the results and the impact of U.S. taxpayer dollars to make the U.S. safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” said Mary, who is retired.

The protesters all expressed opposition to Musk’s role leading efforts to cut costs within the federal government. (Fox News Digital)

Several Democratic lawmakers spoke at the rally, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, and Reps. John Garamendi and Lateefah Simon of California.

The White House issued a report that revealed where taxpayer dollars have been funneled through the agency, such as over $400,000 to “help Indonesian coffee companies become more climate and gender friendly through USAID.”

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Musk said on X that he and President Donald Trump came to an agreement that the agency needed to be shut down.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 5, 2025