WASHINGTON — "My uncle started USAID in 1961, for humanitarian purposes, to put our country on the side of the poor," Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pronounced Thursday at the White House as he was sworn in as Health secretary.

Elon Musk said President Donald Trump agreed the US Agency for International Development needs to be “shut down,” following days of speculation over the future of the agency after its funding was frozen and dozens of its employees were put on leave.

In the absence of USAID leadership, vulnerable people and governments will turn to China, Russia and terrorist organizations for help, writer says.