Elon Musk recently called the United States Agency for International Development a “criminal organisation” as US President Donald Trump attempts to shut it down in the coming days. Amid the ongoing crackdown on USAID by Trump and Musk, Indian-origin CEO of Perplexity AI, Aravind Srinivas, has challenged the tech billionaire of stopping him from securing funding from USAID.
“Considering raising $500B from USAID. Funding secured. Stop me if you can @elonmusk What is USAID? [sic]” wrote Srinivas in a post on X.
What is USAID?
USAID is a federal agency focused on assisting international humanitarian aid and development, reported Indian Express citing the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
USAID funds multiple projects internationally by assisting non-governmental organisations (NGOs), foreign governments, international organisations, etc. USAID assistance is mainly focused on programs linked to poverty alleviation, education, healthcare, etc.
Why Donald Trump, Elon Musk want to shut down USAID?
Elon Musk and Donald Trump targeted USAID in a bid to reduce spending and eliminate high investment by US federal government on foreign aid.
Elon Musk has termed the department to be inefficient on many ocassions. US President Donald Trump had alleged that USAID has been operated by “radical left lunatics” and was getting away with “tremendous fraud”
About The Author
