El empresario Elon Musk prometió ayudar al presidente Donald Trump a recortar el gasto público and as the director of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ha iniciado su cruzada con un mediático ataque frontal a la Fundación Nacional para la Democracia (NED, por sus siglas en inglés) y a la Agencia de Estados Unidos para la Ayuda Internacional (USAID).

To cut unnecessary public spending, Musk has called on users on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to collaborate in creating a "long list" of "the bad things" that the NED has done. The NED is a private American organization funded by the U.S. Congress, dedicated to providing aid to NGOs and entities related to the defense of human rights and press freedom in non-democratic countries.

Currently, the NED manages 362 million dollars in government funds reported to the IRS (U.S. Internal Revenue Service) and 1.6 billion dollars in active grants.

Elon Musk has not minced words when defining USAID, responsible for overseeing funds allocated for grants abroad and international cooperation, as a "criminal organization." He has also stated that "it's time for it to die."

His opinion on the Agency for International Development is clear. "USAID is a bunch of worms. There are no apples. And when there are no apples, you just have to get rid of everything. That's why it needs to be eliminated. It's beyond repair," he wrote on platform X.

It's not surprising that with these compliments, the website and the USAID account on the social media platform X have disappeared.

But Musk's attacks have not come solely from him; they have also come from his unwavering followers. One example is @DataRepublican, an account on the X platform that focuses on analyzing and sharing information about federal government spending in the United States, electoral data, and maps, among other topics. The account has been recognized by Elon Musk, who recommended that "it’s worth following."

In a tweet shared on February 2, @DataRpublican questions the suitability of politicians linked to the NED. Among them, it specifically mentions Republican Senator Todd Young from Indiana, who recently joined the board of the National Endowment for Democracy, accusing him of an alleged conflict of interest concerning his role at the foundation, his political responsibilities in the Senate, and his opposition to the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard, also a Republican and a proponent of abolishing the NED.

Cuts affecting Cuban media and NGOs

Last week, the Donald Trump administration ordered the temporary suspension of all grant and loan programs funded by federal agencies for foreign aid, a measure that has severely impacted independent media and NGOs promoting democratization in Cuba. Many of these organizations are still trying to come to terms with the decision's impact, which leaves their operations and funding sources in uncertainty.

The measure, which the White House temporarily revoked by impacting government housing and healthcare programs for vulnerable Americans, also seriously jeopardizes the viability of certain projects that affect Cuba. However, this suspension of the order leaves many questions unanswered.

In fact, the Trump administration has dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), integrating it under the control of the Department of State. As of last Saturday, the official USAID website (usaid.gov) has been taken offline.

Parallelly, since his return to the White House on January 20, 2025, Donald Trump has launched a maximum pressure strategy against the Cuban regime, reversing previous relaxations and reinstating economic and immigration sanctions. Supported by key figures like Marco Rubio, the new approach from Washington aims to cut off funding sources for Castrismo, limit its influence in the region, and strengthen support for the opposition. Within this framework, the administration has implemented a series of measures designed to restrict the regime's access to foreign currency, increase its international isolation, and weaken its repressive capacity.