USAID to place most personnel on leave, lay off at least 1,600

The Trump administration will place most employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development on administrative leave Sunday night and start laying off at least 1,600 of them as it continues dismantling the agency, which has been in charge of disbursing billions in foreign aid.

Except for some people responsible for “mission-critical” issues, core leadership and specially designated programs, all USAID direct-hire personnel will be placed on leave globally as of Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST, said an email from the office of the USAID administrator sent to staff Sunday afternoon, seen by POLITICO. The email said that about 2,000 employees would be impacted. However, a version posted on USAID’s website placed that number at 1,600.

This is the latest move in the Trump administration’s effort to realign foreign aid with the “America First” policy and to quickly shut down an agency that for more than 60 years distributed everything from HIV drugs to food for malnourished children.

President Donald Trump, his billionaire adviser Elon Musk and congressional Republicans have accused the agency of funding progressive causes abroad, including LGBTQ+ and diversity, equity and inclusion projects, which they view as a waste of taxpayer money.

The USAID staff on administrative leave will have access to the agency’s IT systems and should monitor email for further guidance, the email said. However, they can’t conduct agency business nor download or access official USAID files without the permission of agency leaders.

The email didn’t state the length of time people will be on administrative leave nor how many employees will be affected in total.

The State Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for more information.

The email to staff also said the agency is implementing a so-called reduction in force, starting with 2,000 USAID employees in the U.S. being fired. The people impacted were to be notified Sunday and receive more information about their benefits and rights, the email said.

It was not immediately clear how many people would be deemed essential and retained, but they should have been notified by 5 p.m. EST Sunday, according to the email.

About 600 staff had been notified that they would be kept as essential in early February before a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s rapid downsizing of the agency, led by Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, ended the hold he placed on the plan two weeks ago, saying it wasn’t clear that “potential effects” on employees and people dependent on the agency’s activities outweighed the harm caused by hampering the administration’s efforts to realign foreign aid with Trump’s foreign policy agenda.

USAID personnel posted overseas will retain access to agency systems and to diplomatic and other resources until they return to the U.S., the Sunday email stated. The agency intends to finance a voluntary return travel program for people overseas, the email said.

Before Nichols put a temporary hold on the plans, the State Department had told USAID staff overseas they had 30 days to return to the U.S. or lose their diplomatic protection unless they were granted waivers to stay.

Some agency staffers overseas described in sworn court statements being left in limbo as a result, with some of them facing impossible choices, citing personal reasons such as staying abroad past the 30 days with their bedridden pregnant spouse who couldn’t travel or being left without means of communication with USAID headquarters after the administration placed most people on leave and closed the agency’s main building in Washington.

Nichols said initial claims that the recall could put USAID staffers and their families in danger or interrupt medical treatment proved to be “overstated” after further scrutiny.

USAID had more than 13,000 employees working in September 2024, including federal workers, contractors and local staff abroad. Thousands of contractors were laid off in late January after the Trump administration froze most foreign aid.

The agency has also informed personal services contractors — who work for the agency but are not government employees — that they would be let go as of mid-March. The Personal Services Contractor Association filed a lawsuit against the administration last week.

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