Elon Musk-Led DOGE Moves to Shut Down USAID, Sparks Outrage Over Rumored Memorial Wall Removal

Elon Musk-led DOGE is on top gear and the USAID is facing the full brunt of the attack from the former which has accused the agency of unprofessional conduct and corruption.

The US State Department is working in conjunction to evacuate the United States Agency For International Development (USAID) staff on foreign assignments.

USAID Memorial Wall Removal? Fact-Checking the Claims

Users on social media are claiming that the iconic USAID memorial wall has been taken down though these claims have not been confirmed.

A user took to the X social media platform to air his feelings. He said,

“This is (or rather was) the USAID Memorial Wall that honored USAID employees killed in the line of duty. The wall is gone. DOGE dismantled it. Erasing their memory and sacrifice,” o

Another user wrote,

“USAID’s Memorial Wall – honoring 99 personnel who died serving our nation abroad – was just taken down. These public servants gave their lives.,”

The USAID Memorial Wall bears the names of the employees of the agency who lost their lives while doing aid-related tasks in different parts of the globe. The wall is located in the headquarters of the Agency in Washington DC.

The wall honours the fallen souls who paid with their lives while working in different humanitarian, development, and diplomatic missions around the globe.

A former USAID official has stated that the DOGE officials had dismantled the memorial wall which also included the victims of the 1980 bombing of the US embassy in Lebanon.

Most of the USAID staff deployed overseas which includes Foreign Service officers and contractors are often working in high-risk environments to support US foreign aid initiatives.

The Trump Administration has placed the USAID Washington-based staff on paid administrative leave. The employees of the USAID Agency run into thousands.

The employees started receiving emails on Sunday night and were asked not to come to the Agency’s Washington Headquarters and were asked to stay at home. Tesla Chief Elon Musk who heads DOGE has already stated that Trump has made up his mind to close the international development agency. He posted a message to this effect on X and added that he has the full support of the US President.

Earlier two high-ranking USAID officials were suspended after they prevented a representative of Elon Musk from accessing the restricted parts of the USAID building.

Eight DOGE officials demanded that they be granted access to the entire headquarters building of the Agency. However, only a few had the security clearance and were prevented access.

However, when the officials threatened to call the Marshals they were allowed access to all parts of the building. Later the axe fell on Director of Security John Voorhees and his deputy who were asked to proceed on leave. the USAid chief of staff, Matt Hopson has since  resigned

USAID is one of the largest single aid donors in the world and has disbursed $72 billion in assistance for different projects to countries around the world.

The Agency provides financial assistance in different projects access to clean water and HIV/Aids treatments to provide aid during natural disasters.

Experts quoted by The Telegraph stated that it is an extremely devastating move and puts years of progress at risk. The experts also said that the process of closure is haphazard and disorderly.

Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of the Aids Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) stated,

“Enormous, hard-fought gains over many decades are being undone, with the stroke of a pen,”

On the other hand, Musk has termed the agency to be beyond repair and compared it to a ball of worms and not an apple with a worm and must be closed down.

Mr Musk works for the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) to slash government expenditure and wasteful spending.

Also Read: USAID Website Shuts Down as Donald Trump Freezes Foreign Aid, Sparking Fears Of Layoffs and Backlash