A group of congressional Democrats gathered outside the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters on Monday to denounce what they described as an illegal and unconstitutional attempt by former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to shut down the agency.
The lawmakers, including Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), accused Trump and Musk of abusing executive power by trying to dismantle USAID without congressional approval.
Lawmakers Speak Out
- Rep. Don Beyer: “What Trump and Musk have done is not only wrong, it’s illegal. USAID was established by Congress and can only be disbanded by an act of Congress. This is a test of our democracy.”
- Rep. Ilhan Omar: “We are witnessing a constitutional crisis. We warned that Trump would act like a dictator, and here we are—this is what dictatorship looks like.”
Omar, who once lived in a refugee camp, also emphasized the global impact of USAID’s humanitarian programs. The lawmakers urged Republicans and the courts to intervene and block what they see as an overreach of executive authority.
