{"id":53108,"date":"2025-02-24T10:31:52","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T10:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/usaid-to-lay-off-1-600-employees-based-in-the-u-s\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T10:04:47","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T10:04:47","slug":"usaid-to-lay-off-1-600-employees-based-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/usaid-to-lay-off-1-600-employees-based-in-the-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"USAID to lay off 1,600 employees based in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"

The decision follows a series of measures that have significantly curtailed USAID operations worldwide.<\/p>\n

In a statement, USAID confirmed that all direct hire personnel, except for those assigned to mission-critical functions, core leadership roles, or specially designated programmes, would be placed on administrative leave globally starting at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndividuals that are impacted will receive specific notifications on February 23, 2025, with further instructions and information about their benefits and rights,\u201d the agency stated. <\/p>\n

Employees deemed essential will be informed by 5 p.m. EST the same day.<\/p>\n

For overseas personnel, USAID has outlined plans for a voluntary Agency-funded return travel programme, ensuring access to diplomatic and other resources until their departure. <\/p>\n

Details on retrieving personal items from former USAID workspaces and returning government-issued devices are expected to be released in the coming week.<\/p>\n

Trump administration’s push to cut USAID<\/p>\n

The move aligns with President Donald Trump\u2019s efforts to scale back foreign aid, which he has repeatedly criticised as wasteful. <\/p>\n

Since regaining office, Trump has explored ways to bring USAID under the direct control of the State Department, fueling concerns that the agency could face complete dissolution.<\/p>\n

Democratic lawmakers have voiced strong opposition to the administration\u2019s actions. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Brian Schatz, along with Representatives Gregory Meeks and Lois Frankel, issued a joint statement highlighting that USAID\u2019s independence is protected by law. <\/p>\n

Senator Chris Murphy reinforced this view, stating that \u201ca president cannot eliminate an appropriated federal agency by executive order.\u201d<\/p>\n

The restructuring of USAID has faced legal challenges. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ruled in favour of a labour union-backed request to delay the administrative leave plan. <\/p>\n

However, on February 21, he reversed the decision, allowing the Trump administration to proceed with its plans, including a 30-day countdown for overseas USAID employees to return home.<\/p>\n

Further complicating the situation, billionaire Elon Musk has publicly attacked USAID, following an alleged confrontation between the agency\u2019s security personnel and Trump\u2019s newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk leads.<\/p>\n

Musk has labelled USAID a \u201ccriminal organisation\u201d and called for its shutdown. His post on X stating, \u201cTime for it to die,\u201d has intensified fears that the administration is committed to dismantling the agency altogether.<\/p>\n

Reports indicate that the Trump administration aims to slash USAID\u2019s global workforce from over 10,000 to fewer than 300\u2014a staggering 97% reduction. <\/p>\n

President Trump has claimed that “tremendous fraud” and “unprecedented levels of corruption” exist within USAID\u2019s funding operations, reinforcing his demand for the agency\u2019s closure.<\/p>\n

With legal obstacles now cleared and a firm directive in place, the fate of thousands of USAID employees remains uncertain, as the agency undergoes one of the most significant shake-ups in its history.<\/p>\n

\"Reports<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced plans to lay off approximately 1,600 employees stationed in the U.S. as part of a broader effort to restructure the agency under the Trump administration\u2019s foreign aid policy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000082304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-53108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000082304,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/usaid_flags_hq_washington_1738469547606_1738469547950-ffead-44da7.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/usaid_flags_hq_washington_1738469547606_1738469547950-ffead-44da7.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/usaid_flags_hq_washington_1738469547606_1738469547950-ffead-44da7.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/usaid_flags_hq_washington_1738469547606_1738469547950-ffead-44da7.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/usaid_flags_hq_washington_1738469547606_1738469547950-ffead-44da7.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/usaid_flags_hq_washington_1738469547606_1738469547950-ffead-44da7.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000082304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53108"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=53108"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=53108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}