Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International–Monitoring
The recent decisions spearheaded by influential adviser Elon Musk have become the subject of heated discourse. On one side of the spectrum, there are those who endorse Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting strategy; on the other, voices are raising concerns about the severe implications these measures might have, particularly with respect to critical public health initiatives.
Consider this: Musk, without being formally awarded a Cabinet position or being confirmed by the Senate, found his place amid the ranks of President Donald Trump’s second-term Cabinet meeting. Adorned in his characteristic “Tech Support” attire, he was, in an almost theatrical manner, the face of the imaginatively labeled “Department of Government Efficiency” (or DOGE for short).
The White House, however, has consistently negated any claims that DOGE operates under Musk’s direct influence. Yet one must wonder, with such significant operational shifts, who holds the reins?
USAID and the Fallout from Funding Cuts
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) stands at the forefront of the institutions facing extensive cutbacks under this new leadership’s supervision. Such measures have resulted in a significant number of employees being furloughed.
Adding to the perplexity, Musk alongside Trump and certain allies have been propagating, some would argue, a questionable narrative concerning USAID’s financial distribution for international humanitarian efforts. This misinformation campaign is unsettling at best and potentially damaging at worst.
As a result, foundational health programs have found themselves in disarray. From clinics offering life-saving medical intervention to essential disease prevention frameworks targeting tuberculosis and malaria, disruptions abound.
In a rather candid admission during a Cabinet meeting, Musk addressed potential oversights: “We won’t be perfect. But when we make a mistake, we’ll fix it very quickly. So, for example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled, very briefly, was Ebola prevention,” he chuckled. “I think we all want Ebola prevention. So we restored the Ebola prevention immediately.” But did they really?
Reports suggest otherwise. According to investigative efforts by The Washington Post, current and former USAID officials paint a picture that starkly contradicts Musk’s assurances. An alarming number of these containment initiatives remain stalled.
Criticism from Health Experts and Lawmakers
This nuance wasn’t lost on Democratic Representative Don Beyer of Virginia. He critiqued Musk’s nonchalance by stating, “An average person who did something as incompetent as ‘accidentally canceling Ebola prevention’ wouldn’t be applauded; they’d be fired.” His words echo the sentiment of many: “Musk is failing up in this administration because he didn’t earn his job, he bought it. It’s corrupt, and risks Americans’ health and safety.”
Adding weight to these concerns, Dr. Craig Spencer, an eminent emergency medicine physician with first-hand experience surviving Ebola, detailed the repercussions. Uganda experienced an Ebola outbreak on 29 January 2025, yet, for the first time, the U.S. abstained from dispatching an expert to assist. “Normally, the U.S. would’ve very quickly sent one of our Ebola experts to help the response. But this time, we didn’t. Because we couldn’t. Because this administration wouldn’t let them go right when this outbreak was declared,” Dr. Spencer declared on X.
Efforts to engage the White House met with silence, further complicating matters. Concurrently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), charged with overseeing Ebola prevention in the U.S., finds itself debilitated by an exodus of frontline experts due to DOGE’s interventions.
Humanitarian Concerns and the Administration’s Response
Voices of dissent grow, notably from Jeremy Konyndyk, a former USAID official. With extensive experience spanning the administrations of Presidents Biden and Obama, Konyndyk has lambasted Musk for disrupting the crucial epidemic response framework. On Bluesky, he succinctly labeled Musk’s restoration claim as “bunk.” He noted, “They have laid off most experts, bankrupted partner organizations, retreated from the WHO, and silenced the CDC.”
Konyndyk further asserted that Musk’s vendetta against USAID has “shredded all of the systems the U.S. government built to protect its homeland against global outbreak risks.” His words raise a pivotal question: How will this administration recalibrate in the face of relentless scrutinies?
