The Trump administration is reportedly taking steps to place nearly all of the Washington-based staff of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on leave, according to both a USAID official and another source familiar with the matter.
This decision impacts thousands of employees and represents another significant setback for USAID, which serves as the nation’s primary channel for delivering humanitarian assistance worldwide. Elon Musk, a known Trump supporter leading an initiative to reduce the size of the federal government, has reportedly made the agency one of his focal points.
An insider revealed that approximately 1,400 staff members will be notified on Tuesday about their leave status, in addition to the 600 employees already placed on leave as of Sunday night. This move affects most of the agency’s Washington workforce, including both civil and Foreign Service personnel, according to the source. Approval for this action was reportedly given by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s team. Due to the sensitive nature of these personnel changes, the individual spoke on condition of anonymity.
A senior USAID official, who also requested anonymity due to concerns about retaliation, explained that the agency’s human resources division disclosed during a meeting on Tuesday that access to internal systems had already been revoked for more than 1,400 employees. This suggests that the number of staff being placed on leave may be even higher than initially reported.
These developments come on top of the dismissal or furlough of hundreds of USAID contractors in recent weeks. The layoffs are partly attributed to a continued freeze on foreign aid, a policy implemented by President Donald Trump and his administration. This is reportedly part of a broader effort to integrate USAID into the State Department’s operations.
{Matzav.com}
USAID doesn’t stand for AID for the US but for “United States Agency for International Development” a money laundering criminal organization.