Thousands of USAID workers put on forced leave as Trump moves to kill aid agency

Thousands of American USAID workers were put connected forced leave Friday arsenic President Trump plows up with plans to efficaciously termination the nation’s main overseas assistance agency.

Fewer than 300 officials astatine the venerable agency’s Washington, D.C. office were told to support moving portion the remainder of the astir 10,000 staffers person been ordered to instrumentality home from their posts successful scores of countries astir the globe instantly oregon look firing.

President Donald Trump is pictured successful the East Room of the White House connected February 04, 2025 successful Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Trump medication besides suspended each programs tally by USAID for what it called a reappraisal process, efficaciously firing astir 5,000 section workers.

If upheld, the edict could extremity life-saving enactment combating famine, warring illness and promoting democracy successful nations from Azerbaijan to Zambia.

Democrats and unions representing civilian work workers person vowed to combat Trump’s effort successful court. They accidental Congress has the law powerfulness to money agencies and nary president has the close to adjacent an bureau without lawmakers’ consent.

“This isn’t astir efficiency. It’s astir creating chaos,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) tweeted.

Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blames the harsh cuts connected billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump and Musk accidental they are intent connected slashing what they telephone wasteful spending crossed the national government.

The medication this week gave astir each USAID staffers posted overseas 30 days, starting Friday, to instrumentality to the U.S., with the authorities paying for their question and moving costs.

Workers who take to enactment longer, unless they received a circumstantial hardship waiver, mightiness person to screen their ain expenses, a announcement connected the USAID website said precocious Thursday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Thursday asserted that the U.S. authorities volition proceed providing overseas aid, but simply wants to marque definite it’s cost-effective and aligned with American overseas policy.

“It is going to beryllium overseas assistance that makes consciousness and is aligned with our nationalist interest,” said Rubio, who was an ardent advocator for USAID earlier Trump hired him to beryllium the nation’s apical diplomat.

Rubio claimed the drastic actions were needed to curb “rank insubordination” from wide workers, and claimed the medication is seeking to debar inflicting unnecessary symptom connected staff.

“We’re not trying to beryllium disruptive to people’s idiosyncratic lives,” Rubio told reporters connected a sojourn to the Dominican Republic. “We’re not being punitive here. But this is the lone mode we’ve been capable to get practice from USAID.”

First Lady Melania Trump heaped effusive praise connected USAID during a 2018 travel to Africa, including a sojourn to a schoolhouse successful impoverished Malawi wherever she handed retired shot balls and shot balls.

“We privation to amusement the satellite that we care, and I’ve partnered and americium moving with USAID,” she continued. “And that’s what I privation to stock — that we care.”

If Trump succeeds successful shuttering USAID, it volition magnitude to a stunning stroke to American allies successful Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The bureau is the world’s premier enactment providing life-saving wellness and nutrient aid arsenic good arsenic best-in-class development  assistance and promotion of antiauthoritarian values.

Advocates successful some parties person long championed USAID arsenic a cost-effective mode to physique alliances globally and antagonistic the malignant power of rivals similar Russia and particularly ascendant China.

The White House derides it for programs similar ones it says promotes diverseness and inclusion successful Serbia oregon condoms to Palestinians.