US president Donald Trump’s administration said on Sunday it was placing all personnel at the foreign assistance agency USAid, except leaders and critical staff, on paid administrative leave and eliminating 1,600 positions in the US.
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“I regret to inform you that you are affected by a reduction in force action,” said an email sent to one of the workers being fired that was seen by Reuters. Those who got the note will be let go from federal service, effective from April 24th, the email said.
USAid said on its website that just before midnight on Sunday (US eastern time), all direct hires except essential workers will be put on leave and 1,600 USAid personnel in the US would be cut.
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An earlier notice sent to staff and reviewed by Reuters said about 2,000 US positions would be eliminated.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Friday, a federal judge cleared the way for the Trump administration to put thousands of USAid workers on leave, a setback for government employee unions that are suing over what they have called an effort to dismantle it.
Two former senior USAid officials estimated that a majority of some 4,600 USAid personnel, career US civil service and foreign service staffers, would be placed on administrative leave.
“This administration and secretary [of state Marco] Rubio are shortsighted in cutting into the expertise and unique crisis response capacity of the US,” said Marcia Wong, one of the former officials. “When disease outbreaks occur, populations displaced, these USAid experts are on the ground and first deployed to help stabilise and provide aid.”
Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on January 20th, halting funding for everything from programmes that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe.
The administration has approved exceptions to the freeze totalling $5.3 billion (€5.04 billion), mostly for security and counter-narcotics programmes, according to a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters that included limited humanitarian relief.
USAid programs got less than $100 million in exemptions, compared to roughly $40 billion in programmes it administered annually before the freeze. – Reuters
