In a shocking series of revelations, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) revealed massive corruption at the United States African Development Foundation. Initially, the organization sought to block DOGE from making reforms, but once they failed, enormous corruption was revealed.
For context, the controversy began in February, when President Trump eliminated USADF’s non-statutory functions. However, when DOGE arrived at their building the next month, USADF staff, led by Peter Marocco, blocked their access to the building. Later, he returned with armed individuals to change locks and prevent DOGE from accessing their information.
Describing the scope of the waste, DOGE took to X on April 7, 2025, posting, “The US African Development Foundation has terminated $51M in grants, including: -$229,296 for marketing 100% organic shea butter in Burkina Faso -$84,059 for a business incubator for spa & wellness entrepreneurs in Nigeria
Continuing to list out the absurd waste, the post read, “-$239,738 for marketing pineapple juice in Benin -$246,217 for mango drying facilities in the Ivory Coast -$99,566 to increase yogurt production in Uganda -$48,406 for a WhatsApp marketing chatbot in Kenya -$50,000 to train farmers to grow dragonfruit in Senegal.”
Speaking to the corruption at the agency, a former employee said, “It was so hard to see ADF being used as a beacon of hope and resistance against DOGE because I knew they were actually covering up horrible things…the doors were being kept locked for a reason, ” adding, “The hero of the story is actually the villain.”
According to a former assistant to CEO Travis Adkins, financial corruption was rife at the controversial organization. The unnamed secretary said that after she asked why her paycheck was lower than expected, the CEO told her that the remainder would be coming from an overseas account. She said,
Adkins sent me an email connecting me with this guy in Africa who asked for my banking information. Within a few days, this guy wired me $17,000.”
Further exposing corruption, she described how she was “put on the payroll of an African partner and was informed she was being paid through an entity in Mauritania. No payroll, state, or federal taxes were withheld from her paychecks.”
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Speaking to the DOGE investigation, she said, “The contracts don’t make sense, and they know [DOGE] will find lots of wrongdoing and illegal activity,” she said. “I’m not a fan of DOGE, but some of the things they’re doing need to be done. They have been operating like this for years, and no one did anything about it.”
Defending the controversial agency, Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) took to X to post an unhinged rant. He said, “Earlier this week, a briefing with Pete Marocco (the architect of Trump’s illegal dismantling of USAID) left us with more questions than answers. Worse, he left early to take DOGE staffers and federal marshals to try and forcibly close the U.S. African Development Foundation.”
Concluding his unhinged rant, the Hawaii Democrat said, “These attacks on USAID, USADF, or whoever they go after next are illegal, they are making all of us less safe, and they are doing nothing to make government work better.”