The administration of US President Donald Trump has directed nearly all directly hired staff at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to go on leave, as part of efforts to significantly reduce the size of the government.
On Tuesday, USAID announced that, starting Friday, all direct-hire employees would be placed on leave, except for those handling mission-critical tasks, core leadership roles, or specially designated programs.
Staff stationed abroad will be recalled within 30 days, according to a statement on the agency’s website. However, exceptions and extensions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for reasons such as personal or family hardship, mobility or safety concerns, and other considerations.
“The agency will review exceptions based on factors like school term timing for dependents, medical needs, pregnancy, and other circumstances. Further instructions on requesting exemptions will be provided,” the statement read, concluding with a message of appreciation: “Thank you for your service.”
USAID currently employs over 10,000 people, with approximately two-thirds working overseas, according to the Congressional Research Service.
USAID’s announcement comes as the Trump administration is considering abolishing the agency and subsuming its functions into the US Department of State.
Asked by a reporter on Tuesday if he was preparing to “wind down” the agency, Trump said, “I think so.”
On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he was serving as acting administrator of USAID.
USAID, which disbursed more than half of Washington’s $72bn foreign aid budget in 2023, has become a prime target of the cost-cutting drive spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has called USAID a “criminal organisation“, without substantiation, and claimed the agency is a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America”.
Critics have accused Trump and Musk of acting beyond their authority, arguing that dismantling USAID through executive action is unconstitutional as the agency’s status was established by an act of Congress.
Source: Al Jazeera
BDST: 1310 HRS, FEB 05, 2025
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