When Elon Musk's DOGE swept through US government agencies early in 2025, USAID was hit hardest. Secretary Marco Rubio issued waivers but could not halt the agency's decimation.
Nicholas Enrich, acting assistant administrator for global health, became a whistleblower after witnessing the chaos. He recounts how emails were shut down and staff cut from 10,000 to just 300 within days. By July, USAID was merged with the State Department.
“These people were ignorant of government,” Enrich says. “They had no idea who to talk to or where to go when they encountered obstacles.”
The fallout included a $2 trillion spending cut and over 700,000 deaths in the first year. Congressional Democrats are investigating. Enrich's book, Into the Wood Chipper, chronicles the destruction.
