Trump Plans to Place Almost All USAID Staff in Washington on Leave
On Tuesday, approximately 1,400 individuals will receive notifications, in addition to around 600 who began their leave on Sunday night.
TroibNews 
The Trump administration is taking steps to place nearly all Washington-based staff of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on leave, according to a USAID official and a source familiar with the situation.
This action impacts thousands of employees and represents another setback for the agency, which serves as America's main conduit for humanitarian assistance. Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, an ally of Trump, is leading an initiative focused on reducing government size and has specifically targeted USAID.
A source familiar with the developments indicated that approximately 1,400 staff members would receive notifications on Tuesday, in addition to around 600 who were placed on leave starting Sunday night. This indicates that the majority of the Washington staff—many of whom are civil and Foreign Service officers—are affected. Approval for this action came from Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s team, the source noted, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the personnel changes.
An anonymous senior USAID official expressed concerns over potential repercussions and reported that during a meeting on Tuesday morning, the agency's human resources department stated it had already revoked system access for more than 1,400 staffers. This suggests that the number of employees being placed on leave is larger than previously disclosed.
Additionally, hundreds of USAID contractors have recently been laid off or furloughed as a result of an ongoing freeze on foreign aid instituted by President Donald Trump and his aides, who are working to merge USAID with the State Department.
Representatives from the State Department and USAID did not provide immediate comments upon request.
Eric Bazail-Eimil contributed to this report.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
This action impacts thousands of employees and represents another setback for the agency, which serves as America's main conduit for humanitarian assistance. Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, an ally of Trump, is leading an initiative focused on reducing government size and has specifically targeted USAID.
A source familiar with the developments indicated that approximately 1,400 staff members would receive notifications on Tuesday, in addition to around 600 who were placed on leave starting Sunday night. This indicates that the majority of the Washington staff—many of whom are civil and Foreign Service officers—are affected. Approval for this action came from Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s team, the source noted, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the personnel changes.
An anonymous senior USAID official expressed concerns over potential repercussions and reported that during a meeting on Tuesday morning, the agency's human resources department stated it had already revoked system access for more than 1,400 staffers. This suggests that the number of employees being placed on leave is larger than previously disclosed.
Additionally, hundreds of USAID contractors have recently been laid off or furloughed as a result of an ongoing freeze on foreign aid instituted by President Donald Trump and his aides, who are working to merge USAID with the State Department.
Representatives from the State Department and USAID did not provide immediate comments upon request.
Eric Bazail-Eimil contributed to this report.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
