The administration of United States President Donald Trump is taking steps to fire or place on leave nearly all employees of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), sparking concerns about the future of American humanitarian aid and global influence.
According to a notice posted on USAID’s website, all employees except for those handling “mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programs” will be placed on administrative leave worldwide starting 11:59 pm EST on Sunday (04:59 GMT Monday).
The process to lay off approximately 1,600 US-based staff will also begin immediately. Impacted employees will receive official notifications on February 23, 2025, with further instructions regarding their benefits and rights. Essential personnel who will continue working will be informed by 5:00 pm EST (22:00 GMT) on the same day.
This announcement follows an earlier notice indicating that 2,000 US-based jobs would be eliminated. The move was cleared by a US judge last Friday, allowing the Trump administration to recall thousands of USAID workers from overseas within 30 days.
For employees working abroad, the agency plans to offer a voluntary Agency-funded return travel program and other benefits. USAID has promised to ensure the safety of its overseas personnel until they return home, providing continued access to agency systems and diplomatic resources.
“In the coming week, we will provide details on how to retrieve personal items from the former USAID workspaces and return government-issued devices,” the notice said.
The drastic restructuring is part of a broader agenda led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which has aggressively targeted USAID. Musk, a vocal critic of the agency, has called it a “criminal organization” and accused it of being a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America.”
The administration’s allies argue that USAID is plagued by waste and fraud, and claim it operates under a liberal ideological agenda that exceeds its mission.
Former USAID officials and global aid experts have condemned the move, warning it will have catastrophic consequences for millions of vulnerable people and significantly weaken US soft power.
Marcia Wong, a former deputy assistant administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, described the decision as “shortsighted, high-risk, and frankly, stupid.”
“Eliminating the US’s unique response capacity to contain disease outbreaks and stabilize displaced populations is reckless,” Wong said on X (formerly Twitter).
USAID, established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, is the world’s largest single humanitarian aid donor. In 2023, it distributed over $72 billion in foreign assistance.
The dismantling of USAID signals a major shift in US foreign policy, raising concerns among allies and humanitarian organizations about America’s ability to respond to global crises.
