Trump administration reduces USAID staff, fewer than 300 employees remain - CNN
In several missions, only one employee remains (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The Trump administration will leave fewer than 300 employees at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a move that will sharply cut the agency’s workforce. The remaining staff members hired directly will be placed on leave starting at midnight Friday, reports CNN.
CNN reports that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) employs roughly 10,000 personnel globally, including thousands of contractors, many of whom have already been placed on leave or dismissed. According to CNN sources, access to USAID systems will be maintained by only 294 key staff members.
The remaining employees will have their access to USAID systems, including email, terminated. Three officials told CNN that several missions will be left with just a single employee.
“It’s the worst-case scenario of essentially one person for each field mission and a few folks in DC,” said one USAID foreign official.
Earlier this week, USAID management announced that all USAID staff hired directly will be placed on administrative leave worldwide, except for designated personnel responsible for critical functions, core management and specially appointed programs.
USAID disbands
Earlier in the Trump administration, USAID faced accusations of overspending. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that foreign aid is not charity and must serve US interests, and the USAID office in Ukraine was also ordered to shut down its programs.
According to ABC News sources, the agency’s overseas workforce numbers between 1,500 and 2,000 employees. The new USAID deputy chief, Pete Marocco, told State Department representatives that if the pullout is not completed, military intervention will follow.
An ABC News source noted that many USAID staff abroad have nowhere to turn for answers, with even some US ambassadors unaware of the Trump administration’s plans.
