President Trump has been back in the White House for less than a month, during which he has closed agencies, frozen legislatively mandated spending, and questioned the scope of Constitutionally guaranteed rights.
While lower courts are currently blocking many of the president’s initiatives at least temporarily, none of these issues have escalated to the Supreme Court yet, where these conflicts over presidential authority could become historic. It’s not uncommon for presidents to test limits; voters sought change in the recent election, but the extent and rapidity of Trump’s pursuit of power might be unparalleled.
This situation has sparked concerns across the political spectrum, including from conservative Republican Andrew Natsios, a former leader of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Trump administration has targeted USAID, collaborating with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which raises apprehensions for Natsios.
“I think we’re fostering a system that undermines the separation of powers and the intended checks and balances outlined in the Constitution,” he stated.
Trump and USAID
USAID was ordered to be dismantled by Mr. Trump, despite being established by Congress and subject to legal funding requirements. Trump claims he possesses the authority to eliminate an independent agency like USAID, a stance Natsios, who served as USAID administrator under President George W. Bush, refutes.
“He cannot overturn federal law via executive order. Moreover, A.I.D. is a statutory entity,” Natsios emphasized. “The Foreign Assistance Act is extensive—three to four hundred pages long. You can’t nullify that without a Congressional act. Congress has not acted.”
Over 8,000 employees from the 63-year-old agency were sent home by the Trump administration. Kristina Drye lost her job amid the disorderly agency shutdown.
“People are genuinely frightened,” Drye recounted. “Just 12 days ago, everyone was secure about their next paycheck. They knew how they’d cover their children’s daycare and their medical bills. Then, it all disappeared overnight.”
Those instructed to leave included individuals with decades of service spanning multiple presidential terms, according to Drye. To her knowledge, workers received an email detailing the situation, while some were escorted out.
Mr. Trump, a longtime critic of foreign aid, has labeled USAID as a “radical” agency where “billions of dollars have vanished.” He has made unfounded claims of fraud against USAID.
“That’s complete nonsense. USAID is the most accountable aid agency globally. I have extensively written on this topic,” Natsios remarked. “Forty percent of our staff are accountants and lawyers ensuring no funds go missing. We’ve implemented numerous monitoring systems. If they need to dig 20 years back to find wrongdoings, that suggests there’s minimal abuse.”
USAID allocated approximately $38 billion for foreign assistance in 2023, constituting less than 1% of the federal budget. Natsios shared with 60 Minutes that while any vast agency may experience some waste or sporadic fraud, those funds are overseen by the Office of Management and Budget, the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance, and Congressional oversight committees.
“Didn’t anyone notice these alleged egregious abuses? That’s just implausible,” he stated.
Introducing DOGE and Elon Musk
Rather than seeking Congressional scrutiny of USAID and other agencies, Mr. Trump allocated the power of budget cuts to billionaire Elon Musk, who is swiftly restructuring government employment and expenditures through his newly established agency DOGE.
DOGE received presidential authorization, and starting in January, DOGE engineers quickly gained extensive access to the computer networks of both USAID and the U.S. Treasury. Veteran officials at both agencies who opposed this initiative were suspended, and DOGE has since accessed at least 18 other governmental departments.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who sits on the Senate Appropriations and Foreign Relations committees, described the dismantling of USAID as a “dress rehearsal.”
“Next is the Department of Education; they are set to target it next,” he warned. “Plans are already underway to pursue the Department of Labor, the Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the Social Security Administration. Why is that?”
Coons expressed uncertainty about DOGE’s activities.
“It seems DOGE is a small, unelected group of young tech enthusiasts rushing into various federal agencies, delving into their core systems, engaging in activities that, frankly, I’m not fully informed about, copying and downloading extensive data,” Coons articulated.
Coons is alarmed by DOGE’s access to governmental information.
“Accessing our Social Security data, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Benefit payments—crucial information for us. Clearly, our tax filings are in that mix,” he said. “If they’re granted access and control, they could modify it.”
60 Minutes discovered that DOGE requested and was granted entry to USAID’s unclassified systems, encompassing all financial and personnel data. One USAID employee reported that a DOGE engineer unlocked classified areas within the building. While the employee noted uncertainty about whether the DOGE engineer entered those spaces, they insisted, “That’s the problem; we can’t ascertain what has been compromised.”
Neither Musk nor DOGE responded to interview requests. Musk has labeled USAID a “criminal organization” and its employees as “worms.” In a social media post, he mentioned feeding the agency into “the woodchipper.” Yet, the world’s richest individual has paused U.S. aid for impoverished families globally. Musk has allocated nearly $250 million to assist in electing Trump and other Republicans while also collecting billions in taxpayer dollars to support his SpaceX endeavors.
Upholding Washington’s Traditions?
Natsios, a conservative Republican, has voiced his concerns partly due to the silence from fellow Republicans in Washington.
“The reason for their quietness, I believe, is fear,” Natsios posited. “Musk has pledged $100 million for primary challengers to anyone opposing the president on any front. There’s palpable unease in Washington right now.”
In the Oval Office with Musk, Mr. Trump remarked, “I always adhere to the courts, and then I’ll have to appeal it.”
However, he also commented: “We aim to eliminate corruption; it seems implausible that a judge would prohibit that effort. Thus, perhaps we should scrutinize the judges since that’s a very serious matter—it’s a legitimately grave violation.”
Stephen Vladeck, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, stated that Trump’s fraud allegations do not override statutes enacted by Congress. Vladeck argues that claims of fraud at USAID may serve as a pretext for consolidating power.
“The notion of fraud provides a seemingly reasonable justification for bypassing the historical constraints, whether they pertain to statutes or norms, that have limited presidential power consolidation,” Vladeck continued. “The ultimate aim appears to be the direct control of every federal government apparatus from the White House—a concept at odds with our historical understanding of executive authority.”
Vladeck stressed that a system of checks and balances was the vision the Founding Fathers had in mind for the United States.
“The idea is that we desire an active executive, a vigorous Congress, and a robust court system. Their interactions are intended to establish limits and maintain effective checks and balances,” he mentioned. “However, it’s become increasingly clear that Congress, which is expected to provide diligent oversight of the executive branch and curb potential abuses by both the executive and judicial branches, has largely ceased to fulfill this role.”
Both Vladeck and Natsios assert the potential for a constitutional crisis if the Trump administration were to disregard a Supreme Court ruling.
“Should this reach the Supreme Court and they rule against the administration, and the administration chooses not to comply, we will enter a constitutional crisis,” Natsios warned.
A president defying the Supreme Court would be an unprecedented action. Regarding what might unfold thereafter, Natsios remarked, “No one knows.”
