Tech tycoon Elon Musk’s plans for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) include taking a hard look at the assistance the United States provides to foreign countries. Ever since President-elect Donald Trump tapped Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to spearhead his administration’s new cost-cutting initiative last month, people have been floating their ideas for federal programs and regulations to axe.
Former Rep. Ron Paul joined in on Dec. 6, proposing an end to all foreign aid. “Here’s an easy one for @DOGE! Eliminate foreign aid!” Paul wrote on Musk’s X platform. “It’s taking money from the poor and middle class in the U.S. and giving it to the rich in poor countries – with a cut to the facilitators in between! Americans don’t want their government to borrow more money to spend on foreign aid. Besides, it is the immoral transfer of wealth and is unconstitutional.”
In response, Musk wrote that DOGE “will address this with full transparency for the American people.”