Amid the ongoing controversy over USAID funding cuts, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has admitted that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “accidentally cancelled” an Ebola prevention grant under the American aid agency. While acknowledging the error, Musk assured that his department “would fix it quickly.”
Musk made the admission while attending US President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting on Wednesday at the White House. The meeting included top officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Wearing a black ‘Make America Great Again’ cap and a t-shirt labeled “tech support,” Musk addressed the errors made by DOGE, the department he was assigned to oversee government spending reductions.
Musk: ‘We Won’t Be Perfect, But We’ll Fix It’
Introducing Musk at the meeting, President Trump called him a “tremendously successful guy” who is “sacrificing a lot” in his role at DOGE.
“He’s getting a lot of praise, I’ll tell you, but he’s also getting hit,” Trump added, referring to the backlash Musk has faced following recent budget cuts.
In his statement, Musk admitted that the new department made a mistake in cutting an Ebola prevention grant under USAID but quickly rectified the issue.
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“We (DOGE) will make mistakes. We won’t be perfect, but when we make mistakes, we’ll fix them very quickly. For example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally cancelled, very briefly, was Ebola prevention,” Musk explained.
“We restored the Ebola prevention immediately, and there was no interruption. But we do need to move quickly if we are to achieve a trillion-dollar deficit reduction in financial year 2026. This requires saving $4 billion per day, every day, from now through the end of September,” he added. “We can do it, and we will do it.”
DOGE’s USAID Cuts Ignite Global Political Row
Musk’s remarks come in the wake of the controversy surrounding DOGE’s February 16 announcement to cut $723 million in foreign aid funding. The budget reductions include $21 million in assistance for India and $29 million for Bangladesh as part of broader cost-cutting measures.
The decision has sparked intense political debate, with President Trump hinting at possible election interference by the previous administration under Joe Biden. Trump questioned why millions of dollars in foreign aid were allocated to countries like India, which boasts one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
In Bangladesh, the government body overseeing foreign NGOs, the NGO Affairs Bureau, responded to the funding cuts this week, stating that the $29 million in grants “was not seen in our records.” This marks Bangladesh’s first official reaction to DOGE’s funding overhaul.
Trump’s Broader Effort to Slash Foreign Aid
Since returning to office, President Trump has enforced a near-total freeze on foreign aid, aligning with his administration’s ‘America First’ policy. Meanwhile, Musk has repeatedly expressed DOGE’s intention to phase out USAID entirely, arguing that U.S. taxpayer money should be prioritized for domestic programs.
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Founded in 1961, USAID operates with an annual budget exceeding $40 billion, funding development, health, and humanitarian initiatives worldwide, particularly in low-income nations. However, under Trump’s leadership, the agency has faced mounting scrutiny over its expenditures and impact.
While DOGE’s aggressive budget-cutting measures have drawn criticism, Musk remains firm in his approach to government efficiency. “It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it,” he said.
With foreign aid reductions now in the spotlight and international backlash growing, all eyes are on the White House and DOGE as they navigate the political and economic consequences of their actions.
