The US government’s sizable humanitarian agency USAID will have fewer than 300 employees, according to a report released by the New York Times on Thursday.
According to the Times, the remaining staff members include those who are experts in humanitarian and health care, according to three people with knowledge of the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Times reported that two unions representing USAID staff filed a lawsuit on Thursday over the administration’s cuts and the termination of the organization.
The lawsuit contends that Congress must have approved the organization before it can be disbanded.
AFP contacted the State Department for comment, but the department did not respond right away.
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According to the report, about 800 awards and contracts that were made through the agency were also being disclosed to USAID officials.
Additionally, reports about plans to drastically reduce USAID staffing were reported in the Washington Post and other US media.
The agency made the announcement on Tuesday that it would be putting its employees on administrative leave while it was recalling those who had been posted abroad.
The move is a result of Trump’s and his billionaire ally Elon Musk’s radical plan to shrink the US government, which has shocked the country and sparked angry protests from Democrats and the civil rights movement.
The aid arm of US foreign policy, USAID funds health and emergency programs in around 120 countries, including the world’s poorest regions.
In its struggle for influence with rivals including China, where Musk has significant business interests, it is seen as a crucial source of soft power for the United States.
Musk has called USAID “a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America”. Trump claimed last week that a “bunch of radical lunatics” were operating in the organization.
Aid organizations have quickly criticized the agency’s attack. They claim that it has already resulted in the suspension of programs, including those aimed at preventing and treating HIV.
Source: Channels TV
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