The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it is withdrawing nearly all personnel from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), significantly reducing its six-decade mission to provide overseas aid, including combating hunger, funding education, and addressing pandemics.
In communication to USAID staff via email and public online notice, the administration outlined this latest action as part of a broader effort to reshape the agency under the guidance of returning political figures from Trump’s first term and efficiency teams. These teams, linked to billionaire Elon Musk, have deemed a significant portion of overseas aid spending to be wasteful.
Set to take effect just before midnight on Friday, the directive provides direct hires stationed abroad—who have been hurriedly preparing for anticipated layoffs—with a 30-day timeframe to return home unless categorized as essential personnel. Additionally, non-essential contractors are also set to be terminated as part of this order.
Speculation regarding this move had circulated for days, reflecting the administration’s most drastic option among various proposals aimed at consolidating USAID within the State Department. Other considerations had suggested downsizing smaller USAID operations or partially closing larger ones.
Thousands of USAID employees have already faced layoffs, and many programs globally have been halted since the initiation of a broad freeze on foreign aid put in place by the Trump administration. Despite protests from Democrats, the agency has consistently been a focal point for budget cuts by the current administration and Musk’s team, which is focused on reducing federal expenditures.
Consequently, this stop in funding has resulted in a paralysis of U.S.-funded aid and development efforts across the globe. The strategic leadership and workforce have faced drastic cuts due to furloughs and dismissals, and recently, the Washington office was closed, with reports indicating the removal of the agency’s computer servers.
Musk himself referenced the situation in a dismissive post, saying he “spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper.”
Thus, the mass exodus of both overseas and Washington-based employees is expected to jeopardize billions of dollars worth of projects across approximately 120 nations, which encompass security assistance to allies such as Ukraine and vital development efforts for clean water, job training, and education—especially for schoolgirls in Afghanistan impacted by Taliban policies.
Acknowledged as the world’s largest provider of humanitarian aid, the U.S. allocates less than 1% of its federal budget on foreign assistance, a proportion that is lower than that of numerous other nations.
Vital health programs that have previously played a significant role in eliminating diseases like polio and smallpox, alongside a highly praised HIV/AIDS initiative that has saved more than 20 million lives throughout Africa, have already ceased to operate. This cessation also includes monitoring efforts and rapid response teams for emerging infectious diseases such as the Ebola outbreak in Uganda.
Significant amounts of food and medicine, already shipped by U.S. firms, remain stalled in ports owing to the abrupt closure of the agency.
Democratic lawmakers and other advocates argue that USAID is established as an independent agency under legislation, highlighting that dismantling it requires congressional endorsement. Proponents from both major political parties assert that USAID’s role in providing international assistance is essential to mitigate the influence of adversaries like Russia and China, while also strengthening global alliances.
The choice to withdraw staff and their families earlier than planned is projected to incur tens of millions of dollars in expenditures related to travel and relocation.
The USAID workforce impacted includes both foreign officers and civil service members, whose rights protect them from arbitrary removal or placement on leave without justification. The American Foreign Service Association, representing U.S. diplomats, has reportedly condemned this decision and is preparing legal measures to contest or halt these administrative actions.
Local USAID staff, however, face fewer options for addressing their circumstances, having been excluded from the federal government’s voluntary buyout incentives.
As the prospect of layoffs loomed, employees faced difficult decisions, including whether to withdraw their children from schools midyear and even the heartbreaking decision to part with pets, apprehensive that the administration would not allow adequate time to manage relocation paperwork.
The notice issued on Tuesday indicated that exceptions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for those requiring additional time, yet as most agency personnel prepare to leave, uncertainty remains about who would handle such requests or process necessary documentation for the mass departure.
Over the weekend, Musk’s teams had also taken USAID’s website offline, which resumed activity on Tuesday evening, featuring only the notice regarding the recall or termination of global personnel.
This announcement coincided with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s five-nation visit across Central America, where he engaged with embassy and USAID personnel in the region’s largest missions in El Salvador and Guatemala on Monday and Tuesday.
Accredited journalists following Rubio were not permitted to attend these so-called “meet and greet” sessions, although a similar event in Panama on Sunday allowed them to hear Rubio commend local employees for their commitment and service.
In response to inquiries at a press conference earlier in the day, Rubio affirmed his ongoing support for foreign aid, commenting, “Foreign aid is not charity,” while stressing that each dollar spent should serve U.S. national interests.
The online notice clarified that those exempt from leave would include personnel involved in essential operations, core leadership, and specifically designated programs who would receive notifications by Thursday afternoon.
The notice concluded with a simple acknowledgment: “Thank you for your service.”
