White House uses USAID funds for Trump’s budget chief

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security team of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump’s budget chief and the architect of government overhaul that has cut thousands of federal jobs, according to three documents seen by Reuters.

The White House Office of Management and Budget, which Vought runs, is allocating $15 million of what remains of USAID’s operating expenses to cover the costs of its protection by the U.S. Marshals Service through the end of 2026, the documents show.

A person familiar with the matter said Vought’s security team comprises more than a dozen US marshals, which Reuters could not independently confirm. The OMB did not make Vought available for an interview.

The Marshals Service did not comment specifically on Vought, saying it does not identify people under protection but “typically seeks reimbursement from the supported agency.”

When asked about the use of USAID funds, OMB spokeswoman Rachel Cauley said in an email: “We will continue to use the funds available in the three agencies overseen by the director to protect him.”

He was apparently referring to OMB, USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, of which Vought is acting director.

Vought served as acting USAID director for nearly 90 days last year before his deputy took over in November. He remains a senior adviser to the nearly defunct agency, according to one of the documents, which has not been previously reported.

Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Cauley did not elaborate on Vought’s security costs, but did not dispute that USAID funds are being used to defray the costs of its US Marshals detachment.

The Trump administration dismantled USAID and canceled most of its aid programs last year, transferring responsibility for foreign assistance to the State Department. A skeleton crew of more than 100 employees and contractors is closing out USAID’s remaining contracts and is expected to close the doors of the 64-year-old agency for good in September.

One of the documents reviewed by Reuters said that OMB signed an agreement with USAID last September 11 “to cover costs associated with then-acting USAID Administrator Vought’s security team through November.” That amount – $1.6 million – came from what’s left of USAID’s operating expenses, the document shows.

OMB budgeted another $13.5 million in USAID funds to defray the costs of Vought’s security team through the end of this year “as it relates to his current role as Senior Advisor to USAID,” the document said.

The Marshals Service typically protects federal courts, judges, and court personnel. When asked about Vought, the Marshals Service said it “could offer protection to members of the executive branch facing threats or at the direction of the Attorney General.”

Vought’s conservative philosophy underpins much of Trump’s agenda

The person familiar with the matter said Vought has received serious threats, which the person said were apparently related to his role as lead author of Project 2025, the conservative plan that has formed the basis of many Trump administration policies.

Reuters could not independently confirm the threats or whether they were related to Project 2025. Last week, police in Northern Virginia announced the arrest of a 26-year-old man for attempted murder, and media reports identified Vought as the target. An Arlington County police spokeswoman declined to confirm that Vought was the suspect’s target.

In her statement to Reuters, OMB spokesperson Cauley accused “The Left” – which she did not identify further – of pursuing a strategy that fuels a “culture of murder against public officials” and then expresses “shock at what it takes to keep them safe.”

Vought’s use of bodyguards comes amid an extraordinary rise in intimidation and violence directed at officials, judges, politicians and activists of both political parties since 2020. Trump has been the target of two assassination attempts. Under Trump, the Marshals Service has occasionally provided security for senior U.S. officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In July, Vought sought funding from the CFPB to help cover the $4.7 million cost of its security equipment through the rest of 2025, according to an email seen by Reuters and a person with knowledge of the matter. The email was first reported by GovExec.

Trump ordered the closure of USAID upon taking office in January, claiming, without providing evidence, that it was rife with corruption.

Some 10,000 USAID employees and thousands of contractors were laid off and thousands of programs closed, throwing into disarray the U.S.-funded global humanitarian aid operations on which millions of the world’s poorest people depended. USAID stopped distributing aid in July.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay and Douglas Gillison; Editing by Don Durfee and Claudia Parsons)