New Details From Inside Rubio's Tense Meetings With Musk Over USAID Cuts Revealed

New details have emerged regarding the relationship between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk, under the spotlight following a series of reports detailing a clash a cabinet meeting last week.

A report by Politico details that cuts at USAID and State Department programs and staffing are at the center of their discussions, with the two meeting in late February to discuss the mater.

The conversation was reportedly amicable, but the two disagreed on the pace of the cuts, with Musk pushing for a much swifter approach than Rubio. The mood was more sour at last week's cabinet meeting, where the two got into an exchange before other senior officials.

According to an account published by The New York Times, Musk told Rubio he had fired "nobody." The former Florida senator recalled that 1,500 officials took early retirements and sarcastically asked if Musk wanted to rehire them again just to make a show of firing them again.

The outlet described Rubio as "incensed," noting that he has been "privately furious" with Musk ever since the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) shuttered USAID.

Politico's account says the argument may have been less heated than what the NYT report detailed, but the Times recounted that it "dragged on for an uncomfortable time" before President Donald Trump decided to intervene, saying Rubio was doing a "great job" and highlighting his numerous responsibilities.

Beyond the structure of USAID and the State Department, Politico's Nahal Toosi claims, Rubio's position reflects both a policy concern and a strategic effort to maintain influence within the administration. While he supports significant reforms, he aims to implement them in a way that preserves his authority.

After the report both Rubio and Musk have sought to publicly reinforce their working relationship. Trump stated on social media that reports of tension between them were inaccurate. Rubio has praised Musk's role in eliminating USAID programs.

Concretely, Rubio said that 5,200 contracts, representing 83% of the total, will be discontinued. He argued in a publication on X that they "spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States."

"In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping (approximately 1000) to now be administered more effectively under the State Department," Rubio added.

The secretary of state concluded his message by thanking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the department's "hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform."

Originally published on Latin Times