On Monday, Democratic lawmakers faced off with federal officials outside the USAID headquarters, blocking their entry after a fiery press conference about the Trump administration’s attempt to let Elon Musk take over the agency.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and others were there to call out the reckless move by the Trump administration, which they argue was an illegal attempt to hijack a critical government agency that aids with global disaster recovery, poverty alleviation, and more.
The drama unfolded after members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—the advisory body Trump had tapped Musk to run—showed up at USAID demanding confidential files. When the agency’s employees refused, dozens of them were put on administrative leave.
As this was happening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who seems to have stepped into a newly created role, announced he was now acting director of USAID.
That’s when Democrats stepped in, rallying outside USAID’s doors with signs reading, “USAID Must Be Saved” and “Today USAID. What’s Next?” They made one thing clear: Congress created USAID in 1961, and only Congress can dismantle it—not some billionaire with a fancy title.
“You didn’t create USAID, Elon Musk, Congress did, for the American people,” Raskin fired back. “And just like Elon Musk didn’t create USAID, he doesn’t have the power to destroy it. And who will stop him? We are!
“Just like the president… cannot impound the money of the people,” added Raskin, “we don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk, and that’s going to become real clear.”
But even as Raskin and other lawmakers tried to make their voices heard, federal law enforcement blocked their entry to the building. Staffers had been told to stay out, and the lobby was cordoned off with yellow police tape.
Musk, for his part, said he had checked in with Trump “a few times” about what to do with USAID and claimed the president had directed him to shut it down. But Raskin called out the dangerous nature of those behind the scenes, “murmuring support” for this “outrageous, scandalous, illegal maneuver.”
He pointed out that the real issue wasn’t an “evaluation” of the agency’s work as some claimed. “This is about termination and obliteration of the major foreign aid programs of the United States of America,” Raskin said.
Meanwhile, at a separate briefing, Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) slammed the handling of the situation. “I went inside and tried to speak to the acting administrator [Jason Gray],” Kim said. “Unfortunately, I was not able to meet with him. This is no way to govern, no way to treat public servants, and no way for us to conduct foreign policy.”
Before being blocked from entering, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) called the attempted takeover a direct attack on USAID’s vital work, from fighting infectious diseases to improving global living conditions.
“What Trump and Musk have done is not only wrong, it is illegal,” Beyer said. “Stopping this will require action by the courts and Republicans to show up, show courage, and stand up for our country.”
After being shut out, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told The New York Times that lawmakers were working to secure a court order to block Musk’s shutdown. With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, the legal route is likely the only option to stop this.
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