- Title: Protesters rally in Washington DC against Trump, Musk actions on USAID
- Date: 5th February 2025
- Summary: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 5, 2025) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS CHANTING "HEY HEY HO HO ELON MUSK HAS GOT TO GO" (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SENATOR FROM MARYLAND (DEMOCRAT), CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, SAYING: "We are witnessing in real time the most corrupt bargain in American history. Elon Musk contributed, paid, over $250 million to help elect Donald Trump. And now Donald Trump is turning over the keys to the Treasury and the rest of the federal government to Elon Musk. We need to end this illegal power grab, and we're going to do it now. We're not going back." PROTESTERS IN FRONT OF U.S. CAPITOL PROTESTERS LISTENING PROTESTERS CHANTING: "USAID, USAID, USAID" PROTESTERS HOLDING SIGNS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY (DEMOCRAT), COREY BOOKER, SAYING: "The second thing we are going to do, is we are going to fight this legally and in every way we can. We will fight their violation of civil service laws. We will fight their violation of civil rights laws. We will fight their violations of separation of powers. We will fight their violations of our Constitution of the United States of America. We will not shut up. We will stand up. We will speak up. We will rise up. It is time, as the African spiritual says, for us to lift every voice in condemnation of what's going on." PROTESTERS CHANTING IN FRONT OF U.S. CAPITOL (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY (DEMOCRAT), COREY BOOKER, SAYING: "This is not about left or right. It's about right or wrong. This is not about demonizing a political party, it is about telling the truth about Donald Trump's actions and Elon Musk's actions. We must, as a people, appeal to the consciousness of those moderate Republicans that we can get to stand with us on legislation to save USAID." (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY (DEMOCRAT), COREY BOOKER, SAYING: "You don't just have a voice if you're a billionaire. You have a voice. You don't just have a voice if you're President of the United States. You have a voice. You don't just have a voice if you're connected or elected. You have a voice." (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER USAID OFFICIAL AND AMERICAN SURGEON, DR. ATUL GAWANDE, SAYING: "I am a surgeon. I am Atul Gawande, who has led Global Health at USAID for the last three years until two weeks ago. Until two weeks ago, there was a malaria team with world experts, and they are gone. Until two weeks ago, there was a TB team, and they are gone. Until two weeks ago, there were disease fighters, and they are gone. But they have not gone away. So, we need you to demand that we let them work. Let them work. Let them work. Let. them work. Let them work. Let them work. Let them work. Let them work." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERED (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAMILLE MANOUKIAN, WORKED AS AN INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT CONTRACTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF HIV/AIDS IN THE GLOBAL HEALTH BUREAU OF USAID, SAYING: "Our jobs are gone, but hopefully the agency will remain, and one day we can come back and continue doing the work that we love to do." (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRANCISCO BENCOSME, FORMER CHINA POLICY LEAD FOR USAID, SAYING: "Let's be clear. They're dismantling USAID. They shut down the doors. They brought down banners. They put thousands of people on leave. This is not reform. This is an attack. And USAID is just the beginning. It's USAID now, it's the Department of Education next, it's an attack on on entire Democratic government system." PROTEST SIGNS READING "RESIST" (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARGOT STILES, FORMER USAID CONTRACTOR, SAYING: "The United States gives a lot of money to improve the capacity of different governments around the world so that they can manage problems that eventually reach the United States. So that includes diseases like Ebola, it also includes security, trafficking, piracy that if they get stopped in West Africa, they never come here. But if we wait, the problems just get bigger." PRESIDENT OF REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL AND FORMER USAID OFFICIAL, JEREMY KONYNDYK, GREETING SUPPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL AND FORMER USAID OFFICIAL, JEREMY KONYNDYK, SAYING: "USAID workers are some of the most low-key folks. Low-key, but low-key brave, low-key courageous, low-key patriotic folks you'll ever meet. They're not radicals. Most of them, in normal times, would go through their entire careers without ever being in the news, without ever being in the public eye in any way. And, what is radical, is to talk about patriotic Americans who have served their country in war zones, in epidemic hot zones as if they are radicals. As if they and their service are somehow harming this country. It is the attacks on patriotic Americans serving their country and working for their government that is the radical act." PROTESTERS DRESSED AS DINOSAURS
- Embargoed: 19th February 2025 20:08
- Keywords: Chris Van Hollen Corey Booker Donald Trump Elon Musk USAID administrative leave
- Location: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001912005022025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of protesters, including U.S. senators and representatives, protested on Wednesday (February 5) outside the U.S. Capitol against U.S. President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk.
The protest largely focused on the administration's decision to put all directly hired employees of the U.S. agency for International Development (USAID) on leave globally and recall thousands of personnel working overseas.
Protesters chanted, calling for Musk's to leave the administration. U.S. Senators including Maryland's Chris Van Hollen and New Jersey's Corey Booker, rallied supporters, laying out plans for legal challenges and calling on protestors to continuing speaking out in support of USAID.
USAID's workforce totals more than 10,000, with about two-thirds of that staff serving overseas, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The agency has more than 60 country and regional missions. For USAID staff overseas, Washington was preparing a plan in coordination with the State Department and would pay for the return travel of personnel to the United States within 30 days, the announcement said. It added that the USAID leadership was going to consider case-by-case exceptions based on personal hardship or concerns over mobility and safety.
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