Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is ending the work of a US aid agency launched by Republican former President George W. Bush to reduce poverty and promote economic growth around the world, according to a recording of a staff meeting and an email to staff seen by Reuters.

The move to shut down the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) comes as part of an unprecedented push by President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Musk to shrink the federal government, saying US taxpayer money is misspent.

MCC staff were told in a meeting on Wednesday that all of the agency’s programs will be closed and staff numbers would be minimized, according to a recording of the meeting.

“Foreign aid is not a priority for the administration and so MCC’s work needs to wind down,” Kyeh Kim, a senior MCC official, told staff, Reuters reported.

Trump’s administration has already dismantled Washington’s main aid agency, USAID, which administered about $40 billion in aid annually.

The MCC, which was created by the US Congress with support from Republicans and Democrats in 2004, has an annual budget of about $900 million. It partners with developing countries on projects like improving electricity supply for businesses and improving roads for farmers to get their goods to market, according to its website, according to Reuters.