Trump admin to slash 2K USAID positions at midnight
The Trump administration has made a controversial decision to eliminate thousands of positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with the majority of remaining staff members placed on administrative leave globally. This move comes just before midnight on Sunday, as reported by The Associated Press.
According to notices sent to USAID workers, 2,000 positions will be eliminated, leaving fewer than 300 staffers out of the current 8,000 contractors and direct hires. The remaining staff, along with an unknown number of the 5,000 locally hired international staff members abroad, will continue to run the few life-saving programs that the administration plans to keep in place.
Staff members who were let go left their Washington, D.C. offices for the last time on Friday, some carrying boxes with messages seemingly directed at President Trump, who is responsible for slashing the agency’s workforce. One message read, “We are abandoning the world,” while another said, “You can take the humanitarians out of USAID but you can’t take the humanity out of the humanitarians.”
A temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols was lifted on Friday, allowing the mass layoffs to proceed. Trump has also appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting director of USAID, further signaling the administration’s intent to overhaul the agency.
Critics of USAID have pointed to alleged wasteful spending, with Sen. Joni Ernst highlighting projects such as funding a Sesame Street show in Iraq for $20 million, among other questionable expenditures. The agency has faced scrutiny for providing funds to a Gaza-based charity and a program in Serbia aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion in workplaces.
The decision to drastically reduce USAID’s workforce has sparked outrage and concern among humanitarian workers and advocates. The impact of these layoffs on global aid efforts remains to be seen, as the agency undergoes significant changes under the Trump administration’s direction.
