US President Donald Trump’s administration has announced to put all but a handful of US Agency for International Development (USAID) employees on leave worldwide and eliminate close to 1,600 positions in the US.
In an email to USAID employees by the Office of the Administrator, about 1,600 employees will also be laid off in a “reduction in force” effort, the BBC reported.
The move comes after US President Donald Trump tried to fire thousands of USAID employees initially but faced legal challenges. A federal judge had barred the Trump’s administration from abolishing the USAID, but ruled on Friday that the pause would not be permanent.
Quoting the notice sent to USAID workers, AP reported “As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally.
However, the notice clarifies that those USAID employees of “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions” won’t be affected by the decision but it wasn’t immediately clear how many employees have been deemed critical.
Billionaire Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been making efforts to gut the USAID which is considered a significant tool of US “soft power” for winning influence abroad, and a delivery mechanism for American foreign assistance.
According to USAID’s deputy administrator Pete Marocco, who has been picked by Trump to run the agency, 600 US based employees will be there in order to arrange travel for USAID staffers and families abroad, AP reported.
