Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana recently criticized Democrats for targeting Elon Musk, the co-chairman of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), as a diversion from what he described as the “spending porn” at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The controversy arises amid reports from the New York Times that the Trump administration is planning significant layoffs at USAID, affecting over 95% of its workforce. Despite Democratic criticism, Sen. Kennedy argued that President Donald Trump rightfully exercised his authority to review wasteful spending, a task he delegated to Musk, referring to it as a core campaign promise of Trump’s presidency. “He’s going to continue. He ran on this issue and said, ‘If I am elected president, I would review the spending.'”
President Trump’s appointment of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as co-chairs of DOGE underscores his commitment to fiscal responsibility. While some eyebrows were raised when Ramaswamy left DOGE earlier this year, the administration remains steadfast in its scrutiny of financial allocations. Kennedy critiqued Democrats and what he dubbed the “tofu crowd,” noting their outrage amounted to nothing more than baseless accusations, asking rhetorically, “one thing they are not talking about is what Mr. Musk is finding. Just at the USAID, he found hundreds of millions, maybe billions of dollars’ worth of spending porn.”
Furthermore, Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed these sentiments at a press conference in El Salvador, questioning USAID’s efficacy and oversight. The agency’s issues have long been criticized by conservatives for its funding of left-leaning social causes and the reported allocation of money for questionable projects, including international ventures like gain of function research at the Wuhan Institute, and massive spending on diversity programs, like DEI scholarships in Burma. Rubio insisted that USAID is “completely unresponsive” and “not functioning” as intended.
Amidst the upheaval, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa expressed frustration during a discussion with Musk and Ramaswamy over perceived threats from USAID officials after she sought insight into U.S. aid to Ukraine, indicating ongoing issues with transparency and accountability. Additionally, conservative critics pointed fingers at USAID for providing funds to Palestine, raising concerns about potential misuse by radical groups like Hamas, which carried out an attack affecting Israel on October 7, 2023.
A recent executive order by Trump to freeze a significant portion of foreign aid while reevaluating and realigning spending garnered public support, with 56% of respondents to a Reuters-Ipsos poll endorsing the measure. This reflects widespread approval for Trump’s decisive actions to reign in government spending, demonstrating a sharp contrast to Democratic priorities that often align with foreign interests over American taxpayers.