WASHINGTON — The Trump administration removed two top security officials at the US Agency for International Development during the weekend after they tried to stop representatives from billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from gaining access to restricted parts of the building, three sources said on Sunday (Feb 2).

The action added to the dozens of staff at USAID being removed from their positions, as President Donald Trump's team moves to abolish the agency's independence and possibly bring it under the control of the State Department.

Nearly 30 career staff in the agency's Legislative and Public Affairs bureau lost access overnight to their emails, at least five sources said, bringing the total number of senior USAID career staff who have been put on leave over the past week close to 100.

"DOGE did access the building yesterday," a senior Senate Democratic aide said, requesting anonymity to discuss the incident. USAID security officers tried to turn away DOGE personnel without security clearances.

"They (security personnel) were threatened with action by the federal Marshals Service," the aide said. Following the incident, the director of USAID security John Voorhees and his deputy were removed from their positions and put on leave, sources said.

The purge follows more than a week of mayhem inside USAID, Washington's primary agency funding billions of dollars' worth of life-saving aid globally. Trump ordered a freeze on almost all US foreign aid, saying his administration will review spending to ensure money is distributed in line with his "America First" foreign policy.

Members of the group from DOGE were allowed to access several secure spaces, including the office of security and the agency's executive secretariat.

There was no record of what information DOGE officials were able to obtain in those areas, but the offices they accessed included classified files and personal information about Americans who work at USAID, the sources said.

Katie Miller, a DOGE spokesperson, said on social media platform X that no classified material was accessed without proper security clearances.

Matt Hopson, who was appointed as chief of staff by the Trump administration, has resigned, five sources familiar with the matter said. A congressional source said his resignation followed the incident with DOGE officials. USAID did not respond to a request about Hopson.

CNN was first to report the incident between USAID and DOGE officials.

Legal battle looms

Congressional Democrats said the changes appeared to violate US laws establishing USAID and funding it as a separate agency. Two senior Senate Democratic aides said lawmakers and staff had been meeting on Sunday and would meet again on Monday to consider further steps, including legal action.

Senior Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee including its chair Jeanne Shaheen on Sunday sent a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking an explanation over the incident. Shaheen said that she was working to gather Democrats and Republicans to ask for answers.

The global freeze on most of US foreign aid is already sending shockwaves around the world. Field hospitals in Thai refugee camps, landmine clearance in war zones, and drugs to treat millions suffering from diseases such as HIV are among the programmes at risk of elimination.

US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast on Sunday said that he would support moving USAID under the State Department and that there needs to be "more command and control.'

Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" if congressional approval was needed or whether Trump could act unilaterally, Mast did not answer. The "purging of people throughout the State Department, other agencies" and freezing aid were "all very important and necessary steps to make sure that we secure America," he said.

The State Department and USAID did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, billionaire Trump ally Musk on Sunday continued to slam USAID in his posts and reposts on his X social network. Trump has assigned Musk to lead a federal cost-cutting panel with broad oversight powers. Officials from DOGE have made frequent visits to USAID headquarters in Washington, according to sources familiar with the matter.

On Sunday, Musk accused USAID of being "a criminal organisation" without providing any evidence and added "Time for it to die".

Peter Marocco was appointed as head of the Office of Foreign Assistance at the State Department and is leading the agency's sweeping changes, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Marocco previously served in Trump's first administration in the Department of Defence. The State Department did not respond to questions about Marocco.

USAID's website has been down since Saturday afternoon, a sign that the end is near for the agency, whose funding goes to programmes on everything from women's health in conflict zones to access to clean water, HIV/AIDS treatments, energy security and anti-corruption work.

Source: Reuters