In a significant move that has sent shockwaves through the federal government, President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk announced the abrupt closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Monday.

The decision was publicized during an X Spaces chat, leading to immediate instructions for USAID staff to work remotely while the agency’s office in the Ronald Reagan building was closed.

By Monday afternoon, Secretary of State Marco Rubio assumed the role of acting director for the agency.

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This dramatic closure comes on the heels of revelations by former USAID Director Mark Moyar, who appeared on “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Fox News Wednesday night to disclose what he described as systemic corruption and inefficiency within the agency.

Moyar, who served from February 2018, provided insights into the operational culture that he encountered upon his arrival.

During his orientation, Moyar was subjected to an unusual exercise known as a “privilege walk,” where participants were assigned identities to simulate social disparities.

“So I get there in February, and we have what’s called a privilege walk as part of the orientation where you are given an identity, and I was a Scandinavian woman. And so when they read these, they read lines like, you know, I get discriminated against because of government services or people don’t look how I look,” Moyar explained to Watters.

“So you took a step forward if it applied and if it didn’t. And so I ended up near the front, and the indigenous woman with, you know, unwanted pregnancy and the male prostitute were at the other end, and then we talked about our privileges.”

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Moyar also highlighted how USAID rebranded its initiatives to match political priorities superficially, particularly during the Trump administration.

“They’re very effective at rebranding things. So in the first Trump administration, the priorities were [to] support national interests as they are now. Another thing was countering terrorism and promoting self-reliance. So I went to a country, to give one example, they had a feminist women’s book club that had been started under the Obama administration, and then they now said this is a counter-terror program because feminist women are key fighters in the battle against terrorism,” he stated.

Moyar’s attempts to address corruption within the agency were met with resistance.

He reported a subordinate for a conflict of interest, which led to personal repercussions rather than addressing the issue.

“The first discouraging sign was I was told, ‘Well, you know, that’s nice you want to do that. Most people here don’t want to report corruption.’ Now, they didn’t tell me why. I later figured out it’s because you get in a lot of trouble. So I was accused of publishing classified information and something I had written two years earlier, which had never been subjected to any prior question,” Moyar recounted.

“And so they ultimately used that to fire me. Now, the people who were engaged in the corruption managed to hold on to their jobs. And so there’s a culture of corruption that says, if you are going to criticize anything corrupt, we’re going to come after you.”

The former director also spoke about the broader issues of accountability and transparency at USAID.

“So they ended up firing me based on this bogus accusation. And I’ve been in court for the last three years trying to get them to turn over the facts. And this is, of course, what we’ve seen with a lot of cases with Senator Ernst, for example. They refuse to turn over information to the courts or to members of Congress. And so this is why people are fed up,” Moyar added.

In light of these issues, Moyar expressed cautious optimism about the Department of Government Efficiency’s initiatives to restructure USAID.

“From what I’ve seen so far, they seem to be doing a good job. I do think you’re going to need forensic accountants to go in there. And it’s probably going to take a long time because these bureaucrats have devised very crafty ways to hide money,” he concluded.

Republican Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has also voiced concerns, stating that members of USAID have hindered her oversight efforts regarding how the agency manages and distributes funds.

With the agency now effectively closed, the future of USAID remains uncertain, but the actions of Trump and Musk signal a clear intention to address and reform what has been described as a deeply flawed institution.

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