House conservatives are rallying behind Elon Musk, left, and President Donald Trump as they appear to be scaling back USAID. (Getty Images)
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!!!"
The United States Agency for International Development is being targeted by conservatives. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Democrats have criticized the USAID crackdown, particularly with regard to Musk – who they point out is an unelected ally and donor to Trump.
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"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
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-hardliners-rally-around-trump-musk-scaling-back-usaid