AXIOS: Trump says USAID run by “lunatics”

Following reports that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) representatives accessed the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) D.C. headquarters, American citizens' data and classified spaces, Senate Democrats wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to demand answers, AXIOS informs.

The latest: Elon Musk said he's spoken with President Trump about USAID and "he agreed" that "we should shut it down."

When asked for comment on USAID, Trump told reporters Sunday evening: "It's been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we're getting them out, and then we'll make a decision" on its future.

The big picture: Senate Democrats said in a statement on their letter to Rubio Sunday they're concerned the Musk-headed DOGE reps' possible unauthorized access of USAID and the subsequent placing on administrative leave of senior personnel from the agency responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance "Compromises our National Security."

The intrigue: The USAID website appeared to be offline over the weekend, with www.usaid.gov returning the message: "This site can't be reached."

What they're saying: Responding to a report that two senior USAID officials had been placed on administrative leave, Musk said on Sunday: "USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die."

He did not immediately provide evidence of crimes committed.

Zoom out: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Brian Mast (Fla.) Mast said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday he's working with Rubio on addressing State Department reauthorization and "the purging of people throughout the State Department, other agencies, when we're freezing aid."

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