In a bold move that sent shockwaves through the D.C. bureaucracy, personnel from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), backed by U.S. Marshals, stormed the offices of the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) on March 6. Their mission? To confront one of Washington’s most obscure yet lavishly funded federal agencies — and hold it accountable for squandering over $100 million in foreign aid.
This wasn’t just a paper shuffle. This was a face-to-face standoff, complete with federal agents, resistance from entrenched bureaucrats, and a flurry of emergency court filings. It marked a new chapter in President Trump’s war on the bloated administrative state — and served as a warning to every unaccountable agency living high on the taxpayer’s dime.
DOGE, the brainchild of President Trump and helmed by Elon Musk, has been systematically rooting out waste, fraud, and duplicative spending across the federal government. The agency has already saved American taxpayers billions and earned the praise of conservatives across the country for doing what career politicians and bureaucrats refused to: cut the fat.
So when DOGE zeroed in on the U.S. African Development Foundation — a little-known agency that has quietly funneled millions overseas — the swamp pushed back. According to reports, DOGE and law enforcement officials faced open defiance from USADF employees and board members, who attempted to block access and stall the enforcement of Trump’s executive orders.
The confrontation escalated quickly. Board members present during DOGE’s arrival refused to cooperate, forcing the matter into federal court. A judge temporarily blocked DOGE from replacing the agency’s leadership — a move that conservatives slammed as judicial overreach on behalf of entrenched elites.
Despite the legal roadblock, President Trump had already acted. Ward Brehm, a longtime board member, was officially removed under executive authority. His replacement has yet to be named, but sources suggest it will be someone aligned with the President’s America First vision — someone who won’t rubber-stamp reckless foreign aid.
Peter Marocco, Trump’s newly appointed leader at USAID (another bloated agency under the microscope), played a key role in facilitating DOGE’s entry into USADF. When initially denied access, Marocco reportedly warned the board that he’d return with U.S. Marshals and the Secret Service. And that’s exactly what happened.
The Biden-era culture of bureaucratic entitlement is rapidly dissolving. Trump’s administration is reminding these agencies that they serve the American people — not themselves, and certainly not foreign governments.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly drove the point home: “Entitled, rogue bureaucrats have no authority to defy executive orders by the President of the United States or physically bar his representatives from entering the agencies they run.”
Under Trump’s orders, agencies like the USADF are being stripped back to their legal minimums. No more cushy salaries, no more six-figure “consulting” contracts for foreign nations, and no more bureaucrats acting like they’re untouchable.
DOGE is cleaning house. And the American people are finally getting their money’s worth.
