By David Shepardson and Chris Sanders WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Billionaire Elon Musk, who is heading U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to shrink the federal government, gave an update on the effort early Monday,

His statement comes as signs increasingly point to the Trump administration folding the development aid agency into the State Department.

Elon Musk called USAID a criminal organization that should “die.” Proponents say it’s a key arm of U.S. influence that, if destroyed, “cannot be easily rebuilt.”

Tech billionaire Elon Musk said he believes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is a “criminal organization” that should “die.” “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to

His comments follow reports that DOGE representatives visited USAID's D.C. HQ and accessed classified spaces and American citizens' data.