USAID officials on leave after protecting classified docs from Elon Musk’s DOGE
USAID officials on leave after protecting classified docs from Elon Musk’s DOGE
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The USAID officials had a legal obligation to bar staffers without proper security clearance from seeing classified documents, according to reports. After DOGE’s government-inspection teams requested classified documents this week, USAID Director of Security John Voorhees and his deputy Brian McGill barred them from access because they didn’t have adequate security clearance, the AP reports. Now, they are on leave after carrying out their legal responsibility to protect classified information. Musk’s staffers have since gained access to the materials, including intelligence reports.
![[Donald Trump stands next to Elon Musk. Staffers working under Musk at DOGE lacked the security clearance needed to see the documents, which included intelligence reports, according to the AP]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/02/01/18/18/GettyImages-2185934057.jpg)
DOGE staffers made a similar move at the Treasury Department on Saturday gaining access to the Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems, according to the AP’s reporting. Musk’s DOGE was created by an executive order last month. The agency’s goal, according to Musk’s descriptions of their work, is to slash federal spending through budget cuts and mass firings. The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
USAID is an independent agency of the government that primarily provides foreign humanitarian assistance. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said such a move would be "illegal and against our national interests.”. This move comes after Trump halted most U.S.-funded foreign aid for 90 days in the first week of his presidency. The State Department issued an order halting almost all aid following Trump’s order, though noted exceptions for emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memo on the pause, asking staffers to issue “stop-work orders” on nearly all “existing foreign assistance awards.”. Rubio said Trump’s administration would be developing standards for a review of the assistance. “Decisions whether to continue, modify, or terminate programs will be made following this review,” the memo read, adding that it should be completed within 85 days.
