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This is one of the biggest steps taken by Donald Trump and Elon Musk in their goal to dismantle the USAID as part of their efforts to cut the size of the federal government.
Elon Musk and his DOGE have been tasked with slashing government spending. (File Photo: AP)
In a big announcement, the Trump administration on Sunday (local time) said it was firing at least 1,600 US-based staffers of the US Agency for International Development and placing thousands of others on leave.
“As of 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally,” read the notices sent to USAID workers.
The notices to the agency further said more personnel will continue to have access to USAID systems and should continue to monitor email for further guidance. Employees on administrative leave are not authorised to conduct agency business or download official USAID files without permission.
Around 4,200 workers will be placed on leave, according to BBC‘s US affiliate CBS. “Concurrently, USAID is beginning to implement a reduction-in-force that will affect approximately 2,000 USAID personnel with duty stations in the United States,” it read.
This latest move is one of the biggest steps taken by President Donald Trump and his key ally Elon Musk to dismantle the six-decade-old aid and development agency as part of their efforts to shrink the size of the federal government.
The Trump appointee running USAID, deputy administrator Pete Marocco, has indicated he plans to keep about 600 mostly US-based staffers on the job in the meantime, in part to arrange travel for USAID staffers and families abroad. Democrats in Congress have long argued that it would be unconstitutional for Trump to shut down government agencies without the green light from the legislature.
Why Does Trump Want To Dismantle USAID?
During an address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Trump referred to USAID as a “left-wing scam” and said, “The agency’s name has been removed from its former building and that space will now house agents from Customs and Border Patrol.”
This came after a federal judge allowed Trump to move forward with pulling thousands of USAID staffers off the job in the United States and around the world. US District rejected pleas to keep his temporary stay on the government’s plan to remove all but a small fraction of USAID staffers from their posts.
Trump and Musk have moved swiftly to shutter USAID, calling its programs out of line with the president’s agenda and asserting without evidence that its work is wasteful. It also cancelled millions of dollars of funds allocated to other countries, including $21 million to India for ‘voter turnout’, which sparked a furore.
Hard-right Republicans and libertarians have long questioned the need for USAID and criticised what they say is wasteful spending abroad. Those criticisms have been supercharged since Trump’s return with the administration demonizing USAID employees and claiming — without evidence — that the aid agency is rife with fraud.
What This Means For USAID Workers?
The US-funded agency provides humanitarian and development assistance to other countries, primarily by providing funds to non-governmental organisations, foreign governments and international organisations, or other US agencies.
The cutbacks initiated by Trump and Musk have already upended the global aid system and decades of US policy, with hundreds of programmes frozen in several countries.
The blanket nature of the notification letters to USAID contractors, excluding the names or positions of those receiving them, could make it difficult for the dismissed workers to get unemployment benefits, according to workers.
Experts have argued that dismantling USAID would lead to dangerous consequences and put millions of people around the world at greater risk. Workers have also argued that it would endanger overseas staff, many of whom are in conflict zones, by cutting them off from government communication and medical-diplomatic resources.
(with agency inputs)
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
