Nearly all US Agency for International Development (USAID) employees will be fired or put on leave by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
All USAID employees, 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” from 11: 59pm EST on Sunday (04: 59 GMT Monday), the aid agency said in a notice on its website.
The process of laying off about 1, 600 US-based personnel will take place concurrently, according to the notice.
On February 23, 2025, “individuals that are impacted will receive specific notifications with further instructions and details about their benefits and rights,” according to the notice.
“Designated essential personnel who are expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership February 23, 2025, by 5 pm EST]22: 00 GMT]”.
An earlier notice sent to employees had said about 2, 000 US-based jobs would be eliminated.
No reason was provided for the discrepancy.
The Trump administration’s plans to resign thousands of USAID employees from overseas within 30 days have been cleared by a US judge on Friday, which follows the Trump administration’s decision.
“For overseas personnel, USAID intends a voluntary Agency-funded return travel program and other benefits”, USAID’s website said in its notice.
“USAID is committed to protecting its employees abroad. Personnel will continue to have access to the Agency’s systems, diplomatic personnel, and other resources until they return home. We’ll provide information on how to return government-issued devices from the former USAID offices in the coming week.
The Trump administration has effectively taken down the main organization that provides US humanitarian aid to countries other than the United States under the direction of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Musk – who has called USAID a “criminal organization” and a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” – and other Trump allies have claimed the agency is rife with waste and fraud, and pursues a liberal ideological agenda that is outside the scope of its mission.
Former USAID officials and humanitarian workers have warned that the organization’s collapse will harm millions of vulnerable people around the world and weaken US soft power.
“Eliminating US unique response capacity of crisis experts who help contain disease outbreaks, stabilise displaced populations – a shortsighted, high risk and frankly, stupid act”, Marcia Wong, a former deputy assistant administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, said on X.
Source: Aljazeera
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