Democracy Now! "Into the Wood Chipper": Whistleblower's Inside Story of DOGE Shredding USAID, 14 Million May Die

Apr 16, 2026 | A new book tells the inside story of the second Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID. Its author, Nicholas Enrich, worked at USAID for over a decade before he was pushed out of the agency in early 2025, when the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency summarily cut its staff and funding. An estimated 14 million people are projected to die "unnecessarily" over the next five years due to these cuts, and nearly a million, mostly children, already have, says Enrich. His new memoir, "Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower's Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID," is named after one of Musk's social media posts from that period, when the South African billionaire wrote, "We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper."

Since its establishment in 1961, USAID has saved the lives of tens of millions around the world by treating and preventing serious health issues such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, malaria and more. By slashing the agency, the U.S. "pulled the rug out from under people around the world," says Enrich. "We broke promises to millions who were relying on USAID services, and left them hanging out to dry. We broke promises to governments and broke partnerships that will have lasting effects for years to come."


Trump and his cronies are wicked, evil people, as are those who were engaged in DOGE. These people are going to burn in Hell. — © Mark Alexander

Joni Askola: The USAID Massacre: How Musk's DOGE Became Deadlier Than ISIS

February 19, 2026

Lawrence: Musk and Trump Are Lying about USAID because They Can't Find Anything Wrong with It

Feb 11, 2025 | MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains why Elon Musk and Donald Trump are lying about what the life-saving agency USAID actually does as “Elon Musk has created his own form of waste, fraud and abuse at USAID by wasting $489 million of food” that could be feeding starving children.

The Impact of Cutting USAID on America's Soft Power: How China Looks to React | DW News

Feb 8, 2025 | US President Kennedy created the US Agency for International Development, USAID, in 1961 to be an umbrella organization for all US nonmilitary foreign aid. At the time, aid to contain communism was the Cold War guiding principle, but not the only one.

Kennedy also invoked a moral responsibilty, pointing to America's economic obligations as the wealthiest people in a world of largely poor people. Six decades later USAID provides tens of billions of dollars of humanitarian aid to countries around the world.

But that is about to change. In a move to slash wasteful spending, spearheaded by Elon Musk in the Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump White House this week began slashing most of USAID's workforce. It's feared that the decision to defund USAID by Donald Trump and Elon Musk, two of the world's richest people could hurt millions of the world's poorest people.

Musk Shutters USAID Leaving the World's Poor in Crisis

Feb 5, 2025 | The U.S. Agency for International Development, known as USAID, has fallen in the crosshairs of the Trump administration and Elon Musk's government efficiency push, sending chills through the humanitarian world and drawing criticism from Democratic lawmakers and nonpartisan foreign service workers. Elon Musk said the team he calls the Department of Government Efficiency was in the process of "shutting down USAID," with President Trump's support. Anthony Davis reports.

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Trump should disgust all decent people on the planet. He is the most disgusting individual in public life in my lifetime. Elon Musk comes as a close second. – © Mark Alexander