Bono Tells Joe Rogan That 300,000 People Have Died From DOGE-Led USAID Cuts: Elon Musk Calls Him A Liar, Says ‘Zero People Have Died’

In a podcast conversation that was made public Friday, U2 frontman Paul David Hewson, popularly known by the nickname Bono, told Joe Rogan that over 300,000 people have died globally due to severe cuts to U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funding led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a claim the billionaire swiftly denied, calling Bono a “liar.”

What Happened: During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Bono cited a report suggesting that more than 300,000 people, mostly children, have died from the abrupt funding freeze at USAID.

He said that the cuts resulted in food, water, and medical aid being stranded due to mass layoffs of key personnel.

“There’s food rotting in boats, in warehouses—50,000 tons of it,” Bono said. “The people who knew the codes, who were responsible for distributing that aid, were fired. That’s not America, is it?”

See Also: Elon Musk Was Once A Microsoft Intern — Now His Company Is Bringing Grok To Azure

The statistic comes from modeling done by Brooke Nichols, an infectious disease expert at Boston University.

Musk responded to Bono’s comment on his social media platform, X, formerly Twitter, saying, “He’s such a liar/i****,” adding, “Zero people have died!”

Why It’s Important: The USAID budget was slashed by over 80% earlier this year, following Trump’s executive order authorizing DOGE to cut $1 trillion in federal spending, reported The Times.

USAID’s programs, which once supported food aid, clean water access, and HIV treatment in over 120 countries, have been largely dismantled or folded into the State Department.

At a congressional hearing last week, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio on whether anyone had died due to the aid cuts, which Rubio called a lie, reported the Washington Post.

Rubio also called the question “unfair” and pointed to other countries’ aid reductions.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Musk ended his contentious four-month stint as head of the DOGE.

Despite failing to deliver the anticipated savings, President Donald Trump presented him with a golden key to the White House in a symbolic gesture of appreciation.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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