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A lot of Americans have probably never heard of USAID—the agency, which has been around for over 60 years, provides humanitarian assistance to nations all across the world experiencing crisis, so its domestic impact might feel invisible.

And when Elon Musk declared that he was, with Trump’s approval, shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development—calling it “a criminal organization” and a “radical-left political psy op”—maybe a lot of Americans didn’t realize exactly what they would be losing. (Because USAID was created by an act of Congress, Trump and his deputies can’t legally dissolve it without congressional approval.)

Newly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who announced Monday that he is now also acting director of USAID, suggested that the agency had lost its way when it decided that it’s “somehow a global charity.”

New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, who himself worked at USAID right out of college, wants to set the record straight: “USAID and the work that they’re doing, it’s not charity,” he told Slate. “This is something that is so vital to our national security.” Getting rid of it, he says, will mean a more destabilized world for us all.

On Monday, Kim went down to the USAID office to find out “what in God’s name is happening.” Members of Congress joined protesters gathered outside the building, and a group of House and Senate Democrats was denied entry inside.

I spoke with Kim about what’s at stake with USAID on the chopping block and why Americans should care.

Here’s our conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Shirin Ali: What exactly does USAID do? And what did you work on while you were at the agency?

Sen. Andy Kim: I was brought on right out of college. I showed up at USAID the day after my graduation and started off as an intern. I ended up getting a paid staff position working in the Africa Bureau. A lot of the work that our office was doing at the time was actions supporting the........

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