USAID Workers Slam Elon Musk’s DOGE Blockade On ‘Lifesaving’ Drugs: ‘300 Babies That Wouldn’t Have Had HIV, Now Do’

AP Photograph/Alex Brandon

USAID workers are warning that Elon Musk’s Division of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is throwing international aid into chaos and the agency’s critical HIV/AIDS work continues to be being blocked — despite the Trump administration mentioning “lifesaving” packages would be exempt from the freeze.

President Donald Trump’s government order iced up overseas aid, gutting USAID — an agency representing lower than 1 percent of the federal finances however taking part in a crucial function in global well being efforts. alThough the administration announced a humanitarian waiver for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), sources told Wired that the lifesaving initiative remains largely stalled due to interior dysfunction and a bureaucratic stranglehold imposed by way of DOGE operatives.

Musk’s DOGE workforce shuttered USAID headquarters, staff were locked out of email debts and positioned on administrative go away, and staff global have been left scrambling for tools.

Wired stated that the fallout is being felt in international locations reliant on USAID’s HIV/AIDS applications. In Zambia, Nigeria, Haiti, and Mozambique, an important clinical provides—including antiretroviral drugs and pre-publicity prophylaxis—are stranded in limbo since the personnel liable for their distribution have been benched.

“When a child is born, you do an early infant diagnostic check, and if it comes back certain, you could blitz them with retrovirals,” mentioned a USAID worker. “However that you can’t do this if you happen to don’t have retrovirals.”

“It’s an absolute disaster. At a minimal, 300 infants that wouldn’t have had HIV, now do,” some other brought.

“It’s been absolutely hellish,” mentioned one staffer whose access was once bring to an end on Monday morning.

“Your cash is being unfrozen, but that you would be able to’t contact the individuals who in reality iced over it,” a senior HIV/AIDS legitimate defined to the outlet. “There’s an even bigger communique blockage that is frustrating even the efforts put in location to disencumber the lifesaving work.”

“We cannot contact the medicine,” they stated. “The whole lot is on cling.”

Whereas calls to USAID have long past unanswered for days now, Musk took to X to have fun how his group had spent the weekend feeding USAID into the timber chipper.”

On Monday night, USAID staffers have been informed via e mail that their workplaces would remain closed: “We will proceed to offer further updates as they change into to be had… Thank you on your cooperation.”

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