By G. Edward Johnson - Own work, CC BY 4.0,
The administration of President Donald Trump is preparing to terminate or place on leave nearly all personnel at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to a notice posted on its website, all USAID staff, except for “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership, and/or specially designated programs,” will be placed on “administrative leave globally” starting at 11:59 PM EST on Sunday (04:59 GMT Monday).
The process of laying off approximately 1,600 US-based employees will occur simultaneously, as indicated in the notice.
“Those affected will receive specific notifications on February 23, 2025, along with further instructions and information regarding their benefits and rights,” the notice stated.
“Designated essential personnel who are expected to continue their duties will be notified by Agency leadership on February 23, 2025, by 5 PM EST [22:00 GMT].”
An earlier communication to employees had indicated that around 2,000 US-based positions would be eliminated. No explanation was given for the inconsistency.
This decision follows a ruling by a US judge on Friday, which allowed the Trump administration to proceed with its initiative to recall thousands of USAID employees from international assignments within a 30-day timeframe.
According to a notice on USAID’s website, “For overseas personnel, USAID plans to implement a voluntary Agency-funded return travel program along with additional benefits.”
“USAID is dedicated to ensuring the safety of its overseas personnel. Until their return, these individuals will continue to have access to Agency systems, as well as diplomatic and other resources. In the upcoming week, we will share information on how to collect personal belongings from previous USAID workspaces and return government-issued devices.”
Under the leadership of tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has initiated efforts to effectively dismantle the primary agency responsible for distributing US humanitarian aid internationally.
Musk, who has referred to USAID as a “criminal organization” and a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America,” along with other allies of Trump, has asserted that the agency is plagued by waste and fraud, and that it pursues a liberal ideological agenda that exceeds its intended mission.
Former officials from USAID and humanitarian workers have criticized Trump’s actions, cautioning that the potential dissolution of the aid agency would adversely affect millions of vulnerable individuals globally and diminish the soft power of the United States.
“Eliminating the unique capacity of US crisis response experts who assist in managing disease outbreaks and stabilizing displaced populations is a shortsighted, high-risk, and frankly, foolish decision,” stated Marcia Wong, a former deputy assistant administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, on X. Established in 1961 by former US President John F. Kennedy, USAID is the largest single donor of humanitarian aid in the world, allocating over half of Washington’s $72 billion foreign aid budget in 2023.
