GOP hardliners rally around Trump, Musk scaling back USAID

"At nearly $37 trillion in national debt - and a $1.8 trillion annual deficit - we can't afford to continue giving money to countries that hate America and everything we stand for," he said.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that shutting down USAID "will help reduce our national debt and relieve the burden on taxpayers, while compelling aid-dependent countries to achieve true self-reliance, snapping them out of the dependency cycle USAID has perpetuated under the false banner of 'development.'"

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., endorsed the idea of ending its independent agency status on CBS News' "Face the Nation" over the weekend.

"I would be absolutely for, if that's the path we go down, removing USAID as a separate department and having it fall under one of the other parts of the Department of State, because of its failure," Mast said.

USAID is an independent agency in the federal government that provides civilian foreign aid to help encourage development, fight poverty and disease, and promote democracy overseas.

However, conservatives argue that the agency has strayed from its intended purpose and have called for steep cuts to its multibillion-dollar budget.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X, "7 months ago, I tried to DEFUND USAID. Only 81 Republicans voted 'aye' which is 'yes' to my amendment to prohibit funding to USAID. 127 Republicans and 204 Democrats voted NO to my amendment and voted to FUND USAID. I FULLY SUPPORT ELIMINATING USAID!!!"

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., similarly said on the platform, "I once proposed an amendment on the House floor to cut the USAID budget by 50%. A sensible start. You won't be shocked to know that it didn't have enough support from my fellow Republicans."

Fifty senior USAID staff have been placed on administrative leave, sources told Fox News over the weekend. Staff have also been barred from communicating with anyone outside the agency without approval. 

Democrats have criticized the USAID crackdown, particularly with regard to Musk - who they point out is an unelected ally and donor to Trump. 

"Agency watchdogs track down waste, fraud and abuse. Trump fired them all. The Government Accountability Office monitors federal spending. What Elon Musk is doing isn't oversight. An unaccountable billionaire doesn't have the power to cancel spending he disagrees with," Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, wrote on X.

Rep. Diane DeGette, D-Colo., said, "USAID is critical in advancing U.S. national security interests, providing humanitarian aid, and strengthening global stability. Musk is an unelected billionaire with no authority to make these decisions. This isn't governance, it's authoritarianism."

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report