Billionaire US government efficiency minister Elon Musk said President Donald Trump agreed with him on the need to close the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Musk added in a statement during a conversation via the "X" platform today, Monday, that Trump expressed his support for this decision after detailed discussions between them, "I reviewed the matter in detail with (the president) and he agreed that we should close it."

When asked about the agency, Trump described USAID in press statements yesterday, Sunday, as being run by "a group of radical lunatics," stressing that they are currently being eliminated, and that a decision will be made about the agency's future at a later time.

Musk’s comments come after senior agency employees were suspended on Saturday after refusing to allow members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access agency systems, even after they threatened to contact authorities. About 60 other senior agency employees were suspended last week on charges of trying to circumvent an executive order from Trump freezing foreign aid for 90 days.

This escalation comes at a sensitive time, amid many questions about the future of USAID, which remains one of the United States’ primary tools for providing international support.

During his first term (2017-2021), President Trump took a hardline stance on foreign aid, which was reflected in USAID, the primary arm of the US government in providing humanitarian and development assistance around the world.

In 2018, Trump cut the agency’s funding for projects supporting Palestinian refugees and development programs in the West Bank and Gaza.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States federal government, primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. Founded in 1961, it is one of the largest development assistance agencies in the world.

The Agency provides a variety of support to the Palestinians in the form of projects, most notably support for economic development, improving infrastructure, promoting trade and investment, and supporting the health and education sectors.