Musk has targeted $1 trillion in taxpayer savings and one of his chief targets has been the U.S. Agency for International Development, which leads the government's countermeasure efforts to combat the spread of infectious diseases before they land on American soil.

USAID’s initiatives to fight Ebola and other diseases have been gutted, current and former agency officials said.

Musk, who is not a Cabinet member or an elected official, said one such mistake was “accidentally” cancelling Ebola prevention while cutting U.S. development aid agency USAID. “I think we all want Ebola prevention.