The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will place nearly all directly-hired staff on leave.
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Effective Friday, the agency will furlough most of its 10,000-person workforce, with only mission-critical personnel and core leadership exempt from the sweeping personnel action. Overseas staff will be recalled within 30 days, with limited exceptions considered for personal hardship cases.
The move represents a significant disruption to U.S. foreign aid operations, potentially impacting health and emergency programmes in approximately 120 countries. USAID, which disbursed over half of Washington’s $72 billion foreign aid budget in 2023, has become a focal point of cost-cutting efforts led by the administration and tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk has been particularly vocal, describing USAID as “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and pushing for its dismantling. The agency’s potential abolishment would see its functions absorbed into the State Department, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio currently serving as acting administrator.
President Trump appeared to confirm the agency’s uncertain future, telling reporters, “I think so,” when asked about plans to wind down USAID.
The unprecedented staff furlough has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats and human rights organisations, who argue that the move could severely compromise critical international humanitarian efforts. Critics also contend that dismantling USAID through executive action may be unconstitutional, as the agency’s status was established by an act of Congress.
The agency’s statement offered a terse acknowledgement of the massive organisational shift, simply concluding with “Thank you for your service.”
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