Trump adviser says USAID ignores U.S. strategic goals

National Security Advisor to US President Donald Trump Michael Waltz said that the activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) do not contribute to the strategic interests of the head of the White House. Waltz said this in an interview with NBC News on February 9.

"USAID does all sorts of things that, frankly, are not in line with the president's strategic interests or vision. We need to revisit their mission and align it with Trump's foreign policy vision," the adviser to the head of the United States said.

He also noted that most of the funds do not reach the needy.

In addition, Waltz said that the Pentagon's budget, which exceeds $800 billion, is used irrationally and its spending is excessive. In his opinion, US residents are fed up with unnecessary waste and debt.

Musk has been jettisoned: a key element of US soft power has been destroyed

What's really behind the destruction of USAID

Earlier in the day, Trump said he hoped that DOGE, led by entrepreneur Ilon Musk, would discover "wasted" billions of dollars in the Pentagon. The head of America noted that he trusts Musk in the work of the agency.

Before that, on February 3, Musk, who heads DOGE, announced the launch of the process to liquidate USAID. The billionaire noted that the agency is not recoverable, and it should be closed. At the same time, Trump called the heads of the agency radical madmen.

Bloomberg reported on February 5 that Musk's team gained access to the room where secret USAID documents are stored. In addition, more than 100 employees of the agency were placed on administrative leave.