Washington DC:
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the American capital on Wednesday as part of a nationwide protest against the Trump administration’s move to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – Â a department that was the largest bilateral donor in the world just three weeks ago.
The protest outside the Capitol building in Washington DC was one of a series organized by an online movement dubbed 50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Demonstrators aimed to push back against President Donald Trump’s administration abruptly pulling almost all USAID staffers off the job and out of the field. Affected USAID workers were among the demonstrators along with several Democratic representatives. Â
Trump administration’s Tuesday order followed two and a half weeks of billionaire Elon Musk’s teams dismantling much of USAID, shutting down a six-decade mission intended to shore up US security by educating children, fighting epidemics and advancing other development abroad. The South African-born billionaire has been roped in by Mr Trump to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Elon Musk has got to go,” shouted Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, who marched along with protestors.Â
Elon Musk has got to go. pic.twitter.com/FyH3Y1bJWu
— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) February 4, 2025
“We are witnessing in real time the most corrupt bargain in American history,” Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen said, referring to Mr Musk, his support for President Trump and his role in challenging USAID and other targeted agencies.
Demonstrators also expressed concern over the influence of Tesla CEO Musk’s role in the government.
“I don’t think a single person should have control over our entire federal government. And de facto, that’s what he’s done. President Trump has appointed him without congressional approval or intervention to have unfettered access to our entire government. Essentially, they are stealing the government together,” Ravenna, a protester told the Associated Press.Â
Amy, a protester, said she was fired from USAID shortly after Mr Trump was sworn in, “No severance, no cause. Benefits ended two days later. I was on maternity leave. I was supposed to be back that Monday. My husband also just recently was laid off, so I don’t know, cash in retirement? The plan for life has very much changed,” she told AP.
With his dizzying moves to slash spending, abolish government departments and lay off much of the federal workforce, Donald Trump has upended the US constitutional order in an unprecedented assertion of executive might.Â
Trump’s Order
In his first two weeks in office, Mr Trump has set in motion the abolition of a giant government humanitarian agency that experts say can only legally be dismantled by Congress and has tried to freeze trillions of dollars in spending mandated by lawmakers.
Critics complain that Congress has been slow to react in the face of a full frontal assault on the American founders’ vision of the separation of powers — but warn that the Republican president is on a collision course with the courts.
Mr Trump has removed agency watchdogs and summarily fired FBI leaders and federal prosecutors who investigated his efforts to overturn the 2020 election that culminated in a deadly riot at the US Capitol. Opponents also claim that Mr Trump allowed Elon Musk — the world’s richest man and a major government contractor — to break the law by accessing US Treasury payment systems that send out trillions of dollars and hold a welter of sensitive personal data.
“In theory, Congress is a co-equal branch of government but it may not be in practice if it continues to let Trump usurp its constitutional authority,” said political analyst Andrew Koneschusky, a former Senate staffer.Â
“Trump’s strategy is to flood the zone, act fast, project strength and break things… But it remains to be seen whether Congress — and specifically congressional Republicans — will at some point assert their authority.”
