The Trump administration has announced the elimination of over a thousand positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), with the majority of remaining staff members placed on administrative leave globally. This decision, effective as of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, will see only fewer than 300 staffers out of the current 8,000 contractors and direct hires retained.
According to reports, the remaining staff, along with an undisclosed number of the 5,000 locally hired international staff members abroad, will continue to operate the limited life-saving programs that the administration plans to maintain for the time being.
Staff members who were let go from USAID expressed their discontent as they left their offices for the last time, with some carrying boxes bearing messages seemingly directed at President Trump, who is overseeing the reduction in the agency's workforce.
Despite a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols at the start of a lawsuit filed by government employee unions to halt the mass layoffs, the order was lifted, allowing the dismissals to proceed. President Trump has taken steps to downsize the agency following a 90-day pause on foreign aid and the appointment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting director of USAID.
USAID has faced criticism from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk for alleged wasteful spending practices. Examples of such spending include funding a Sesame Street show in Iraq with $20 million, providing over $900,000 to a Gaza-based charity, and allocating $1.5 million for a diversity program in Serbia.
