USAID dismantling halted by courts, but what’s next?

By Sue Kientz

Barely a week ago, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was slated for shutdown, according to Elon Musk, Trump-appointed head of the Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE)(1) who called USAID “a ball of worms” and “beyond repair.” Founded by President John F. Kennedy, who signed the Congressional bill passed to fund its activities on November 3, 1961,(3) USAID has for decades supported thousands of programs worldwide, assisting millions of people in need, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Astrologers have an additional view of USAID, as an entity that emerged at a particular, significant time, created by people aiming to do good things for others around the world. Consequently, its astrology chart reveals its distinct selfless core mission (Sun conjunct charitable, caring Neptune at 11 Scorpio) with a powerful reach and effect (Sun/Neptune sextile formidable Pluto, 9 Virgo), operating in an orderly fashion at the behest of the US government (Sun/Neptune trine dwarf planet Orcus at 10 Cancer)(4), to fight disease, poverty, hunger, in other words, carrying on “the good fight” (Sun/Neptune trine heroic asteroid Pallas, 7 Pisces) to uplift humanity’s most vulnerable. USAID’s job reflects the best side of America, compassion and selflessness represented by USAID’s Sun square(5) dwarf planet Gonggong (12 Aquarius), this fifth-largest TNO prominent in the birth charts of humanitarians such as Dr. Schweitzer, Jane Goodall, Florence Nightingale, Father Damien, and Mother Teresa.

So what happened by February 2,(6) to cause this towering enterprise to teeter, at the mercy of Elon Musk’s summary judgment of its value? Transiting Sun (14 Aquarius), Mercury (9 Aquarius) Pluto (2 Aquarius) were square USAID’s Sun/Neptune, as large asteroid Vesta (10 Scorpio), frequent omen of disaster,(7) was poised to conjunct its Sun/Neptune. To more succinctly see the fast-moving situation USAID is in, astrologers have a valuable predictive technique that uses the principle of each day after an event (in this case, USAID’s founding) to represent one year, therefore providing an elegant “executive summary” of an entity’s history. The resulting pattern shows a recently conjunct Moon/Mars (9 Capricorn), an apt representation of USAID targeted for elimination and the anguish of its employees and those dependent on its vital services. From there the Moon squares Eris (9 Aries), representative of others, the collective, those who group together for a power unavailable to the individual. All those who called their congressional representatives, wrote letters, and who are how demonstrating, act as Eris, expressing emotion (Moon) and anger (Mars) at the sudden decision to axe USAID. Next, Moon opposes Orcus (9 Cancer), as the courts are now weighing in, freezing or blocking action, demanding law is followed. Soon after that, the Moon forms a supportive trine (120 degrees) with Pluto (9 Virgo), signaling powerful forces brought to bear (even now, some GOP senators and Bill Gates argue for the incalculable value of USAID as a soft-power ambassador for America and as supporting American farmers whose product is shipped to impoverished areas). This unfolds in the next few weeks, first with Moon conjunct Venus (10 Capricorn), restoration of funding pipelines, jobs, associations? One hopes! From there, the day=year pattern’s Moon conjoins Sun (15 Capricorn) and sextile “fight-for-right” Pallas (16 Pisces) in roughly 5-6 months time. Under the hood, and visible Above, USAID has righteous strength and looks to prevail against hasty, ham-handed forces seeking to “save money” by raiding congressionally blessed coffers.

Title Image credit: USAID logo, public domain.

Notes and References

1. DOGE is not a department of the federal government; it’s an office of the Trump White House.
2. Hansler, Jennifer, et al, “Elon Musk said Donald Trump agreed USAID needs to be ‘shut down’,” 3 February 2025, Updated 7:48 a.m., CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/02/politics/usaid-officials-leave-musk-doge/
3. “United States Agency for International Development,” 3 November 1961, Washington, DC, 1 p.m. ET used. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Agency_for_International_Development
4. Orcus strives for perfection, loves order, honors authority; see Kientz, Sue. More Plutos, Indianapolis: Dogear Publishing, 2015, pp. 109-127 (Orcus chapter)
5. A square is a 90-degree angle between planets that represents difficulty but is best utilized if the native or enterprise “works” or strives in the fields represented by those planets.
6. “(USAID IS) a ball of worms,” posted on X.com, 2 February 2025, Washington, DC, 2 p.m. ET used, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1886304008698007851
7. Kientz, Sue. “Tidy Vesta Can Warn Us of Messy Disasters,” Journal of Research of the American Federation of Astrologers, vol. 15 (April 2015), https://moreplutos.com/articles/VestaCanWarnofDisasters-SueKientz_AFAJournalofResearch-vol15.pdf