Elon Musk defends DOGE cuts amid Ebola response backlash

Elon Musk

Elon Musk acknowledged on Wednesday that the US DOGE Service "accidentally cancelled" efforts by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to prevent the spread of Ebola. However, he insisted that the initiative was quickly reinstated, emphasizing that his cost-cutting initiative would correct mistakes as needed.

A rushed rollback of USAID’s Ebola efforts

Musk’s comments came during a meeting with US President Donald Trump’s Cabinet officials, where he defended DOGE’s rapid budget cuts. "We will make mistakes. We won’t be perfect. But when we make a mistake, we’ll fix it very quickly," Musk stated. He assured officials that USAID’s Ebola prevention efforts had been restored without interruption.

According to The New York Times, current and former USAID officials disputed Musk’s claim, stating that Ebola prevention efforts have remained largely frozen. Nidhi Bouri, who oversaw the agency’s response under the Biden administration, revealed that the department once staffed with 60 people is now reduced to just six. She described the rollback of disease-prevention programs as a major setback, warning that other vulnerable countries are at risk.

"There have been no efforts to ‘turn on’ anything in prevention," Bouri told reporters, adding that USAID’s Ebola response in Uganda last month was a one-time waiver rather than a full restoration of programs.

DOGE’s 'move fast and break things' approach under scrutiny

The rollback of global health programs has sparked criticism from public health experts who argue that Musk’s "move fast and break things" approach is harming global disease prevention efforts. USAID’s emergency response teams, known as Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs), have been dismantled, leaving the agency unable to deploy immediate aid in future outbreaks.

Despite mounting criticism, Musk defended DOGE’s aggressive spending cuts as a necessity for reducing the federal deficit by $1 trillion. "We do need to move quickly," he stated, while acknowledging the importance of maintaining key public health programs.

Public health risks and warnings from experts

The abrupt rollback of Ebola prevention programs comes at a time when a mystery illness has killed more than 50 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Health experts warn that such diseases could spread rapidly without sufficient monitoring and early intervention.

Paul Friedrichs, who oversaw pandemic preparedness efforts under President Joe Biden, warned that cuts to USAID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are weakening America’s frontline defence against deadly diseases.

"US investments in foreign aid, CDC surveillance, and global health programs are the first line of defence," Friedrichs stated. "These cuts increase the risk of outbreaks spreading globally and domestically."

A symbolic response or a political vulnerability?

The White House has declined to confirm whether USAID’s Ebola-response programs have been fully restored. As reported by The New York Times, Jeremy Konyndyk, who led USAID’s Ebola prevention efforts under President Obama, argued that the administration's response in Uganda was "more symbolic than substantive."

"They know there’s a political vulnerability," Konyndyk said, suggesting that the administration’s actions may be aimed at deflecting growing criticism over public health cuts rather than fully restoring critical services.

As the Trump administration moves forward with its aggressive budget reduction strategy, questions remain over whether essential health programs will be restored in time to prevent the next global health crisis.