The Trump administration has announced a mass layoff of 1,600 U.S.-based employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Additionally, the majority of remaining staff will be placed on paid administrative leave, except for leaders and critical staff, the agency said Sunday.
According to a statement on its website, as of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 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.”
Implementation of reduction-in-force
USAID is beginning to implement a reduction in force that will affect approximately 1,600 personnel with duty stations in the United States. Individuals who are affected will receive specific notifications on Sunday.
“Designated essential personnel” who are expected to continue working will be informed by agency leadership by 5 p.m. EST on Sunday.
- For overseas personnel, USAID intends to implement a voluntary agency-funded return travel program and other benefits, it added.
- USAID has been a key target for government reform by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk.
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that there was “tremendous fraud” in the use of USAID funds at “unprecedented levels of corruption” and demanded that the agency be shut down.
Legal challenges and Court rulings
On Feb. 4, USAID issued a notice that starting at 11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 7, all directly employed personnel worldwide would be placed on “administrative leave,” except for a few designated individuals.
However, on Feb. 7, Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of a request from U.S. labor unions to delay USAID’s global employee “administrative leave” plan.
On Feb. 21, the judge dismissed the request, giving the green light for the plan to proceed. The latest ruling also enables the Trump administration to begin the 30-day countdown for USAID employees stationed abroad to return to the U.S. at the government’s expense.
More Insights
According to previous reports from U.S. media, the Trump administration’s goal was to reduce USAID’s global workforce from over 10,000 to fewer than 300, a reduction of 97%.
- Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on January 20, halting funding for programs that fight starvation, deadly diseases, and provide shelter for millions of displaced people globally.
- The administration has approved exceptions to the freeze totaling $5.3 billion, mostly for security and counter-narcotics programs, according to a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters. This included limited humanitarian relief.
USAID programs received less than $100 million in exemptions, compared to roughly $40 billion in programs it administered annually before the freeze.
