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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 24271, member: 2262"] Trump Plans to Merge USAID into the State Department. The Trump administration aims to fold the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) into the State Department. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday he would lead the aid agency as staff stayed away from its Washington offices. Rubio said USAID functions would continue but must align with U.S. foreign policy. Democratic lawmakers called the move illegal and warned it would hurt American interests abroad. President Trump criticized the agency, claiming it faced "tremendous fraud" but offered no evidence. His adviser Elon Musk, who leads an unofficial cost-cutting team called the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), posted messages calling USAID "evil" and a "criminal organization." The agency's website went dark after two security officials were placed on leave, and, according to internal messages obtained by the BBC, hundreds of employees lost email access. "This harms national security and helps our adversaries," said Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Congressman Johnny Olszewski noted that Syrian prison guards nearly abandoned their posts guarding Islamic State fighters when U.S. aid froze earlier. USAID manages nearly $40 billion in foreign aid spending. Founded in 1961 by President Kennedy, it employs around 10,000 people. Trump defended Musk's role, saying the tech leader can only recommend staff changes with White House approval. Reports indicate Musk serves as an unpaid "special government employee," a status that requires financial disclosures. Several agency leaders have left their posts in recent days, including security director John Vorhees, deputy security director Brian McGill, and chief of staff Matt Hopson. The agency's shutdown affects key resources like its famine tracker and decades of aid records. Democratic critics suggest Musk's business ties to China influenced his push to close USAID. [/QUOTE]

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