The new head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Peter Marocco, has reportedly expressed bewilderment over some of the agency’s spending and is considering sending criminal referrals to the Justice Department for potential misuse of U.S. taxpayer dollars.

President Donald Trump appointed Marocco to dismantle the agency as part of his mission to eliminate government waste, fraud, and abuse.

USAID, which was one of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) earliest targets, allocates funds for promoting stability, economic growth, and humanitarian assistance in unstable regions.

However, the White House argues DOGE uncovered money being spent to advance left-wing political ideas globally.

During his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump highlighted specific spending he finds problematic such as, “$45 million for diversity, equity and inclusion scholarships in Burma,” and “$8 million for LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho.”

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, of Connecticut, slammed the administration’s approach earlier this week, especially the massive cuts to USAID.

“Ninety-four percent of USAID staff have been fired,” Murphy said. “The representatives of the administration in charge of cost cutting have made it clear that the goal is to destroy USAID.”

The Supreme Court recently denied the White House’s request to cancel $2 billion worth of already spent foreign aid, a legal push back against DOGE’s efforts.

Amid growing concerns over the cuts, even from some Republicans, Elon Musk met with House GOP members on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

“It’s very encouraging the areas in which he’s disclosing and where he’s headed with and they’ve even really cracked the nut,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said after the closed door meeting.

An internal review at USAID is underway, with Marocco’s team this week telling lawmakers that it has uncovered what it believes is a pattern of illegal activity within the agency, according to a report in The New York Times.

Have a news tip? Contact Kayla Gaskins at kgaskins@sbgtv.com or at x.com/kaylagaskinsTV.