Elon Musk Spotlights Federal Funds for Lutheran Aid Groups, Calls Them ‘Illegal Payments’

Lutheran aid groups
Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, addresses accusations about Lutheran organizations in a video released Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Video screen grab)

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She added: “Across Democratic and Republican administrations, we have partnered with the U.S. government to ensure vulnerable children are safe from human trafficking and can be safely reunified with their parents or guardian.”

Flynn’s post also noted funds granted to Lutheran Social Services of the South, the legal name of a Texas-based group that does work under the name Upbring such as assisting parents who wish to adopt a child.

Efforts to reach DOGE — also known as as the U.S. DOGE Service, which is the new name of the U.S. Digital Service — were unsuccessful.

The targeting of Global Refuge comes after Trump already all but froze the United States Refugee Admissions Program in one of his first executive orders, shutting down the entry of refugees into the country aside from rare exceptions. Seven of the 10 groups that partner with the federal government to resettle refugees are faith-based, including Global Refuge. Several of the groups condemned Trump’s executive order at the time and have since vowed to aid refugees in whatever ways they can.

In addition, Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, recently accused U.S. Catholic bishops of “resettling illegal immigrants” — a claim made without evidence — in an interview with CBS, as well as accusing prelates who defend the work of only being concerned with their “bottom line.”

Over the weekend, the Trump administration also began dismantling the United States Agency for International Development, with Musk saying on X early Monday morning that his DOGE team “spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” In the past, USAID has partnered with religious groups that do international work, such as Lutheran World Relief and Catholic Relief Services.

This article originally appeared here.

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Jack Jenkinshttps://religionnews.com/
Jack Jenkins is a national reporter for Religion News Services. His work has appeared or been referenced in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, MSNBC and elsewhere. After graduating from Presbyterian College with a Bachelor of Arts in history and religion/philosophy, Jack received his Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University with a focus on Christianity, Islam and the media. Jenkins is based in Washington, D.C.

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