USAID security chiefs on leave after trying to stop DOGE from accessing data

The Trump administration has placed two security chiefs from the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave on Sunday, Feb. 2. Trump officials said the two chiefs refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to officials with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. 

Musk’s team eventually gained access to the classified information on Saturday, Feb. 1. Officials said the classified information included intelligence reports. 

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Why was Musk’s team initially denied?

According to The Associated Press, the two USAID security officials, John Vorhees and Brian McGill, believed they were legally obligated to forbid Musk’s team access since they didn’t have high-enough security clearance. 

Has there been a response since the incident?

On Sunday, Musk posted on X, saying, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.”

USAID is a criminal organization.

Time for it to die. https://t.co/sWYy6fyt1k

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 2, 2025

Kate Miller, who serves on DOGE’s advisory board, said no classified information was accessed without the proper security clearance.

The incident comes a day after Musk’s DOGE gained access to a critical Treasury Department payment system. That system also holds sensitive data, like Social Security and Medicare customer data. 

The Trump administration had recently put a freeze on foreign assistance. That freeze has shut down much of the USAID humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide. USAID administers billions of dollars in aid to more than 100 countries. 

Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said, in a post on X on Sunday, that Trump is allowing Musk to shut down government funding.

No one elected Elon Musk.

As Donald Trump allows Musk to access people’s personal information and shut down government funding, Republicans in Washington will also own the consequences.

We must do everything in our power to push back and protect people from harm.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 2, 2025

“As Donald Trump allows Musk to access people’s personal information and shut down government funding, Republicans in Washington will also own the consequences,” Warren said in the post. “We must do everything in our power to push back and protect people from harm.”

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On Saturday, the USAID website went offline. There’s been no explanation or reason why the website was taken offline. Staff that ABC News spoke to said an email that confirmed the site was down didn’t say teams were working to get it back up. The source said there’s normally mention of that in similar notices.