Washington, DC — Senator Joni Ernst — chair of the “DOGE” Caucus in the US Senate — says she was stonewalled and threatened by USAID staff when she asked questions about how humanitarian aid was being spent in Ukraine.
Ernst made her comments during a conversation with Elon Musk that was broadcast live on X, the social media platform Musk owns. Ernst says it took six months of negotiations with USAID before her Senate staff was allowed to see even limited data about USAID spending in Ukraine. Ernst says they found between 50 and 60 percent of the agency’s money was spent on overhead rather than direct assistance to individuals.
Musk interjected affirmations throughout her remarks, concluding with: “100%.”
Last summer, Ernst accused USAID of payroll fraud. Ernst says Musk, with President Trump’s blessing, has made the right move in shutting down USAID, so every dollar can be scrutinized.
Ernst says without aggressive moves to reduce government spending, there’s a danger Republicans could lose majority control of the House and Senate in the 2026 election and Trump’s agenda would be dead in the water in the second half of his current term.
