Thousands of employees from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are being asked to vacate their workspaces this Thursday and Friday amidst the ongoing downsizing efforts by the Trump administration. Earlier this week, USAID placed 4,080 of its global workforce on leave, with an additional 1,600 employees impacted by a “reduction in force,” according to a statement from a State Department representative.
The move forms part of a broader initiative by President Donald Trump, supported by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, to significantly reduce the size of the federal government. These actions have substantially curtailed USAID operations, leaving only a small contingent of its workforce active.
The rapid shuttering of USAID by Trump and Musk has been rationalized by claims that the agency’s programs do not align with current presidential priorities and assertions—unsupported by evidence—that the agency’s work has been wasteful. Notably, these drastic measures have proceeded without involvement from Congress, the very entity that originally sanctioned and funded USAID.
A recent report from the Congressional Research Service highlighted that congressional approval is necessary to modify or dismantle USAID. However, with the Republican-led House and Senate showing no resistance, the administration’s actions have proceeded largely unopposed. Consequently, more than 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion earmarked for global assistance are being cut.
It remains unclear how many of the over 5,600 affected USAID employees were working at the headquarters in Washington. According to a notice on USAID’s website, employees stationed elsewhere will have a later opportunity to collect their personal items.
Details provided in the notice established protocols for specific groups of employees, outlining times they should arrive for security screenings and be taken to their previous workstations. Employees being dismissed are required to return all USAID-issued equipment. Those on leave with administrative status are instructed to keep their USAID-issued items, such as diplomatic passports, until fully separated from the agency.
The outlined conditions for retrieving personal belongings have struck many USAID employees as derogatory. The instructions specifically prohibited bringing items such as guns, “spear guns,” or “hand grenades” into the workspace, and each individual is allotted a brief 15-minute window to collect their items.
The administration’s attempts to drastically reduce the federal government size are facing numerous legal challenges. However, litigation efforts aimed at halting the closure of USAID have yet to yield temporary relief.
A federal judge recently mandated the Trump administration to release billions in U.S. foreign aid by the end of this week, citing non-compliance with a prior court order to ease the financial freeze. The Supreme Court subsequently intervened late Wednesday to stay the order, pending further review.
This court intervention came in response to a lawsuit filed by nonprofit groups over the suspension of foreign aid distributed via USAID and the State Department. Trump initiated a freeze on funding through an executive order on his first day in office, targeting programs deemed inconsistent with his foreign policy objectives.
In response, Virginia Democratic Representative Gerald Connolly described the treatment of USAID workers as “unwarranted and unprecedented.” Representing an area with a significant federal workforce, Connolly praised USAID staff as being integral to “the world’s premier development and foreign assistance agency,” whose efforts have saved “millions of lives every year.”
