The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced that nearly all of its direct hires worldwide will be placed on administrative leave starting February 7.
This decision follows a series of attacks on the agency by the Trump administration, including direct criticism from former President Donald Trump.
According to an announcement posted on USAID’s website, the directive will take effect just before midnight on Friday.
The announcement says: “All USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.”
Those selected to continue working are expected to receive notification by 3 p.m. on Thursday. The agency also stated that efforts are underway to facilitate the return of overseas personnel whose roles are deemed non-essential.
USAID, which employs more than 10,000 direct hires and contractors, plays a crucial role in delivering humanitarian aid to over 100 countries.
Around two-thirds of its workforce is stationed abroad. The American Foreign Service Association, representing approximately 1,800 foreign service officers, has condemned the decision, warning that it could effectively dismantle USAID.
The move comes in the wake of Trump’s executive order on his first day in office, freezing foreign aid funding for at least 90 days. USAID’s headquarters were abruptly closed on Monday, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he was assuming control of the agency, appointing State Department official Pete Marocco to oversee its operations.
The decision has sparked outrage among lawmakers, with many Democrats calling it illegal. Some Republicans have also voiced concerns, highlighting that USAID was established under a congressional law and cannot be abolished unilaterally.
The agency was created in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy through an executive order following the passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. In 1998, Congress reinforced USAID’s independence through the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act.
A recent report by the Congressional Research Service has confirmed that Trump does not have the authority to dissolve USAID without congressional approval.
In the last fiscal year, USAID managed more than $40 billion in funding across approximately 130 countries. Some of the top recipients included Ukraine, Somalia, Ethiopia, Jordan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Meanwhile, tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has reportedly been serving as a special government employee in the Trump administration, made controversial remarks about USAID’s shutdown. On his social media platform X, Musk stated that he and Trump were “shutting down USAID” and later added that they had spent the weekend “feeding USAID into the wood chipper.”
Foreign policy experts have warned that weakening or dismantling USAID could diminish U.S. influence in South America and Africa while allowing rival powers such as Russia and China to expand their geopolitical reach.
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