Trump fires 1,600 USAID employees, others sent on indefinite paid leave

“I regret to inform you that you are affected by a Reduction in Force action,” said an email sent to one of the workers being fired that was reviewed by Reuters. Those who got the note will be let go from federal service effective April 24, the email said.

The only employees who are still working are the leaders and critical staff at USAID.

“As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 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,” according to the notices sent to USAID workers that were viewed by The Associated Press.

Musk vs USAID

The move was the latest and one of the biggest steps yet toward what US President Donald Trump and cost-cutting ally Elon Musk say is their goal of gutting the six-decade-old aid and development agency in a broader campaign to slash the size of the federal government.

USAID is the main delivery mechanism for American foreign assistance and a critical tool of US “soft power” for winning influence abroad.

Trump’s bid to end USAID

Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on January 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe.

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 that included limited humanitarian relief.

USAID programs got less than $100 million in exemptions, compared to roughly $40 billion in programs it administered annually before the freeze.

The move to fire 1,600 US-based USAID employees comes after a federal judge on Friday allowed the administration to move forward with its plan to pull thousands of USAID staffers off the job in the United States and around the world. US District Judge Carl Nichols rejected pleas in a lawsuit from employees to keep temporarily blocking the government’s plan.