Oh goody, a Trump official once called Ebola a “Scam”

Testimony Describes USAID Response to Ebola Outbreaks During Funding Review

Red Cross workers bury an Ebola victim at the Rwampara Cemetery, in Rwampara, Congo, Saturday, May 23, 2026. Moses Sawasawa/AP

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has recorded nearly 1,000 suspected cases and more than 200 suspected deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease has spread across multiple areas, and response efforts have involved coordination among international health organizations and local authorities.

The US State Department has stated that reforms to the US Agency for International Development did not impair the government’s capacity to address the outbreak. Spokesman Tommy Pigott told the New York Times that claims linking USAID changes to delays in Ebola response are false.

In March 2025, Nicholas Enrich, then serving as acting assistant administrator for global health at USAID, testified before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He described a February 2025 meeting in which requests for funding to respond to an Ebola outbreak in Uganda were not approved. Enrich stated that Tim Meisburger, then head of USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, characterized the outbreak as a “scam” due to only one reported death at that stage. Enrich said he explained that the disease remained in an incubation period and recommended continuing response measures. According to the testimony, agency leadership instead directed staff to reduce activities related to neglected tropical diseases, mpox, polio, Ebola, and associated surveillance work.

Enrich’s account has not been independently corroborated in public records beyond his statements to Congress. Enrich was later placed on leave following his public criticism of funding decisions.

Meisburger previously served as deputy assistant administrator at USAID’s Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation. In 2021, the Washington Post reported that he told colleagues during a video call that the January 6 Capitol events involved “a few violent people” while “several million” others protested peacefully. He was removed from that position after the comments were reported and later returned to a USAID role during the second Trump administration. As of June 2025, Meisburger had moved to a position with the Peace Corps.

Another official referenced in Enrich’s testimony, Mark Lloyd, assistant to the administrator for global health, had been appointed USAID’s religious freedom adviser in 2020. The Washington Post reported at the time on social media posts in which Lloyd described Islam as a “barbaric cult.” Lloyd remains in his USAID role.

In February 2025, Elon Musk, then leading the Department of Government Efficiency, posted on X that the team had spent the weekend “feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” The agency did not respond to requests for comment on the testimony or personnel matters.

The article is based on congressional testimony, agency statements, and prior reporting from the Washington Post and New York Times. No additional documentation confirming the specific remarks attributed to Meisburger has been released by USAID or congressional committees.