Elon Musk's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has drawn sharp criticism as his companies face financial woes. Instead of focusing on SpaceX and Tesla, Musk has been fixated on what he called "feeding USAID into the woodchipper."

Jeremy Konyndyk, a former top USAID official who led the Ebola response in 2014-2015, said Musk's obsession is drawing attention back to his actions. "He cannot cite a single name of someone who died," Musk claimed, but when confronted with names of children, he insulted a journalist.

The cuts, made through the short-lived Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), have come under scrutiny amid the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Musk admitted to "accidentally" cutting Ebola detection programs.

Davide Rasella, a research professor at ISGlobal, said the cuts weakened surveillance and preparedness. A Lancet study estimated that abolishing USAID could lead to 14 million deaths, including 4.5 million children. Musk threatened to sue when the study was cited.

Konyndyk said Musk's personal investment gave the dismantling reach up to the White House. "He used a 'cut until people scream' model, but here the cost is human lives," he noted. Congress could still stop the dismantling, as USAID is required by law.

Rasella called the cuts "absurd" after COVID-19 caused 20 million deaths. "This is just the beginning," he warned. Konyndyk said there is still a window to avert the worst harms.

Source: www.theguardian.com