Musk halts projects aimed at preventing epidemics: Mocked people's deaths

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DOGE head Elon Musk defended DOGE's rapid approach to canceling federal programs during the first meeting President Donald Trump held with his Cabinet officials. Stating, 'We will make mistakes. We will not be perfect. But when we make a mistake, we will fix it very quickly,' Musk expressed that Ebola prevention efforts were immediately restarted and that there was no interruption.

Admitting that he 'accidentally' halted projects aimed at preventing Ebola, Musk explained the situation with a humorous tone during the cabinet meeting. U.S. ministers and Trump did not show any reaction to Musk's 'joke.' Social media users criticized Musk, alleging that he mocked people's 'deaths.'

Current and former USAID officials stated that Musk's statements do not reflect the truth. It was noted that after DOGE's decision last month to vacate USAID and freeze payments, Ebola prevention efforts largely stopped. It was reported that teams and contractors assigned to fight the epidemic were dispersed.

Although the Trump administration granted an exemption to USAID last month to respond to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, it was stated that payments to partner organizations were not made immediately and the agency's efforts were severely restricted compared to the past. USAID's 60-person team working on disease response was reduced to approximately six people as of this week.

EBOLA OUTBREAK SPREADING IN UGANDA

Former USAID official Nidhi Bouri noted that the response to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda was a one-time effort. Bouri stated that the agency is far from the full-scale activities it undertook in the past, especially its efforts to monitor whether the disease is spreading to neighboring countries. It was said that the outbreak in Uganda occurred on the day foreign aid was frozen, but the exemption was quickly reinstated.

Speaking to The Washington Post, a Ugandan official said, 'The Ebola outbreak in Uganda occurred on the same day as the foreign aid freeze. Despite this, the exemption was quickly reinstated to address the outbreak.'

CRITICISM OF DOGE INCREASES

The interruptions in Ebola prevention efforts have increased criticism of DOGE's 'move fast and break things' approach. Democrats, current and former federal officials, and other stakeholders have warned about the harmful consequences of this strategy. A federal judge has repeatedly called on the Trump administration to return USAID funds, and a deadline was set for Wednesday night for these funds to be reallocated.

Some Trump administration officials have also expressed their discomfort with DOGE's approach. It was stated that the group's actions have created additional problems for Cabinet departments.

Elon Musk's post DOGE father

MUSK DEFENDED DOGE

Defending the strategy DOGE follows to overcome bureaucratic inertia and reduce public spending, Musk stated that his team aims to use public resources more efficiently by making quick decisions. Although the Ebola outbreak in Uganda was brought under control thanks to past prevention efforts, it was emphasized that other countries remain vulnerable to similar outbreaks.

Former U.S. officials pointed to the importance of investments in prevention efforts and noted that the interruption of such programs carries long-term risks.

According to Musk's claim, DOGE has enabled the U.S. government to save money. Musk stated that the 'saved' money will be used for Americans in the future.