The Trump administration has placed most employees of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on administrative leave and laid off hundreds more. Starting Sunday, about 4,200 workers are on leave, and at least 1,600 have been fired.
This decision follows a legal challenge to Trump’s earlier plans to reduce the workforce at USAID, which previously employed around 10,000 staff.
A federal judge recently allowed the administration to proceed with its cuts while emphasizing that the pause on layoffs wouldn’t last indefinitely.
Only “designated personnel” handling critical functions will remain active, with USAID identifying 611 employees as essential. The agency plans to fund voluntary return travel for overseas staff.
With these cuts, over half of USAID’s workforce—approximately 5,800 employees—are either on leave or laid off.
Judge Carl Nichols confirmed the administration could continue with its staffing reductions, while another judge noted issues with funding foreign aid already approved by Congress.
Trump criticized USAID’s spending, saying it has been a “left-wing scam,” and announced that Customs and Border Patrol would occupy the former USAID building.
Former USAID chief Gayle Smith warned that these cutbacks signal a troubling lack of commitment to international aid.
-BBC
