WASHINGTON (TNND) — A sweeping restructuring of the federal government is underway under President Donald Trump, with significant changes affecting multiple agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The agency is facing a sudden shutdown, with nearly all its workers abroad being recalled and placed on leave, according to a recent notice.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been backing the measures as a way of carrying out oversight of American tax dollars. He's been a vocal supporter of the administration's efforts to streamline government spending.

"We’ve gotta spend money better and if this executive branch and this White House is going to take the initiative and dig in and find the details and expose them, we applaud that. We’re all on board," Johnson said Wednesday.

USAID has been targeted by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and now House Republicans are on the attack over where USAID money is going. GOP members of the House have highlighted various expenditures in a lengthy list they've identified, including $1 million for French-speaking LGBTQ groups in Africa, $47,020 for a transgender opera in Colombia, and $425,622 to assist Indonesian coffee companies in becoming more climate and gender-friendly.

President Trump praised Musk's efforts when he was asked about the sudden shakeups at the White House this week.

"He's done a great job. Look at all the fraud that he's found in this USAID. It's a disaster what the people ... radical left lunatics," President Trump said Tuesday.

The restructuring is part of a broader initiative by Trump to downsize and resize the government. It was a promise he made repeatedly throughout his 2024 campaign. Approximately 20,000 federal workers have reportedly accepted buyout offers to leave their positions. The Wall Street Journal reports that the CIA is the first intelligence agency to offer buyouts to its entire workforce in an effort to "infuse the agency with renewed energy," according to a CIA spokesperson quoted in the report.

However, critics argue that these measures could lead to the loss of experienced non-political employees essential for government operations.

"I don't think that there is any grand plan beyond these buyouts. It's certainly not a cost-cutting measure to throw away decades of experience and millions of dollars in training," said journalist and historian Garrett Graff.

Democrats have raised concerns about the constitutionality of some of these actions, and workers' unions are skeptical about the promised compensation for employees accepting buyouts, which is roughly eight months of pay. Workers who don't accept the buyout could also face layoffs.