Elon Musk admits DOGE ‘accidentally’ cut Ebola prevention funding during Uganda outbreak

Elon Musk acknowledged that DOGE mistakenly halted Ebola prevention funding while cutting USAID budget.

On Wednesday, Elon Musk admitted that DOGE, the White House office focused on cost-cutting, "accidentally" halted funding for Ebola prevention during an outbreak in Uganda. Musk made this statement while speaking at President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting of his second term. He clarified that the mistake involved cuts to USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development, but emphasised that there was no interruption in Ebola prevention efforts.

Elon Musk: "We will make mistakes. We won't be perfect ... so for example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was ebola prevention." pic.twitter.com/bq4Ipp4Zvj

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 26, 2025

Musk explained that DOGE is designed to make swift decisions aimed at reducing government spending, with a target of cutting $1 trillion from the federal budget. He acknowledged that while DOGE is not flawless, any errors would be addressed quickly. "We won’t be perfect," Musk stated, referring to the possibility of such mistakes within the office.

This isn’t the first time Musk has addressed potential oversights by DOGE. Previously, he mentioned that the office may not always achieve perfect results, citing instances where DOGE had edited its records to correct inaccuracies, including one about a major contract cancellation. Musk had also referred to DOGE "putting USAID through the wood chipper" as part of its aggressive cost-cutting measures.

Musk’s comments about the Ebola funding oversight have drawn criticism. Representative Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, condemned the mistake, calling it a sign of incompetence. Beyer criticised Musk for continuing to rise in the administration despite what he described as a lack of qualifications, adding that such a mistake would have resulted in dismissal for most people.

This controversy comes at a time when the U.S. is dealing with an ongoing Ebola outbreak linked to the Sudan virus in Uganda.