USAID employees worldwide placed on leave
Around 10,000 people work for the agency, two-thirds of them outside the U.S.
Employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will be placed on leave from Friday night, the agency said on Wednesday.
All direct-hire personnel working anywhere in the world for the agency will be put on administrative leave, with the exception of employees in critical positions, a statement on USAID’s website said.
Those affected by the exemptions will be informed a day in advance, the agency, which is under the acting leadership of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said.
President Donald Trump has already frozen the agency’s funds in January pending an internal review, impacting a vast array of initiatives around the globe.
USAID is one of the largest aid agencies in the world and is responsible for doling out much of the U.S. government’s humanitarian assistance to developing countries and countries in crisis.
Trump has repeatedly claimed it is run by radical lunatics seeking to hinder his America First foreign policy agenda.
The White House recently listed USAID projects that Trump considers particularly galling to include an initiative for electric cars in Vietnam and cultural programmes supporting transgender communities in South America.
Around 10,000 people work for the agency, two-thirds of them outside the U.S.
The statement said USAID employees posted abroad will have their return to the U.S. arranged and paid for within 30 days.
“For USAID personnel currently posted outside the United States, the Agency, in coordination with missions and the Department of State, is currently preparing a plan, in accordance with all applicable requirements and laws, under which the Agency would arrange and pay for return travel to the United States within 30 days and provide for the termination of PSC and ISC contracts that are not determined to be essential.”
The aid agency said it would consider case-by-case exceptions and return travel extensions based on personal or family hardship, mobility or safety concerns, or other reasons.
“For example, the Agency will consider exceptions based on the timing of dependents’ school term, personal or familial medical needs, pregnancy, and other reasons,” the statement added.
“Further guidance on how to request an exception will be forthcoming. Thank you for your service.”
USAID is the world’s leading international development agency, responsible for billions of dollars in US aid projects across the world.
Most of these funds are channelled into disaster relief efforts while promoting development and global health.
There are reports that Trump intends to issue another executive order that would dismantle USAID and move its operations to the State Department.
The US president and Elon Musk, head of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Trump administration, have labelled USAID a “drainpipe” of taxpayer funds while making the case for its closure.
