The Trump administration is drastically reducing the number of positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with over a thousand posts being eliminated. Most of the remaining staff members are being placed on administrative leave globally. Only around 300 personnel will be left out of the current 8,000 contractors and direct hires. The administration intends to keep running a few life-saving programs with this reduced staff. However, the move has been met with backlash, as sacked USAID staffers left their Washington, D.C., offices for the last time with messages on their boxes expressing their discontent at the cuts.
Thousands of USAID employees were notified weeks in advance of their dismissals, and a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols was lifted, allowing the mass layoffs to proceed. President Trump has taken steps to significantly reduce the agency’s workforce, imposing a 90-day pause on foreign aid and appointing Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting director of USAID. The agency has faced criticism from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for alleged wasteful spending, including funding programs such as a Sesame Street show in Iraq and supporting a Gaza-based terror charity. Additional examples of questionable spending have been uncovered, leading to concerns about the agency’s fiscal responsibility.
The decision to cut USAID’s workforce has resulted in a significant reduction in the agency’s global presence, with most staff members being placed on administrative leave. The remaining personnel, along with locally hired international staff abroad, will be responsible for running the few essential programs that the administration plans to maintain. USAID workers have left their offices for the last time, some carrying boxes with messages directed towards Trump, expressing their frustration at being let go. Despite efforts to challenge the mass layoffs in court, the temporary restraining order was lifted, allowing the dismissals to proceed as planned.
Critics of the Trump administration’s move to downsize USAID argue that it will have detrimental effects on the agency’s ability to carry out its humanitarian missions and global aid efforts. The agency has been accused of wasteful spending on various projects and programs, prompting calls for greater oversight and accountability. The appointment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting director of USAID has raised concerns about the direction the agency will take under his leadership. As the remaining staff members work to manage the reduced workload, questions remain about the future of USAID and its role in providing aid and assistance to those in need around the world.
