US media: Trump administration to lay off almost 10,000 USAID staff, leaving fewer than 300 employees and sparking backlash
People hold placards as the USAID building sits closed to employees after a memo was issued advising agency personnel to work remotely, in Washington, D.C. February 3, 2025. — Reuters pic
Friday, 07 Feb 2025 7:51 PM MYT
WASHINGTON, Feb 7 — The Trump administration plans to reduce the number of staff at the US government’s giant humanitarian agency USAID to fewer than 300 people from more than 10,000, the New York Times reported yesterday.
The staff who remain include employees who specialise in health and humanitarian assistance, the Times said, citing three people with knowledge of the plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Two unions representing USAID staff filed a lawsuit yesterday over the cuts against Trump and his administration, seeking an injunction to stop the firing and furloughing of employees and dismantling of the agency, the Times said.
The suit argues that the agency cannot be unwound without the prior approval of Congress.
The State Department did not respond immediately to a request for comment from AFP.
USAID officials have also been told that about 800 awards and contracts administered through the agency were being canceled, the report said.
The Washington Post and other US media also carried reports about plans to drastically reduced USAID staffing.
A man passses by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) office in Tegucigalpa on February 6, 2025. The freeze in aid funding by Donald Trump's new US administration has left humanitarian workers seeing a large proportion of their budget cut off and fearing millions will be affected as programmes are suspended. — AFP pic
The reports come after the agency announced on Tuesday it was placing its staff in the United States and around the world on administrative leave as it moved to recall employees from overseas postings.
The move is part of a radical drive by Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk to shrink the US government, a plan that has shocked Washington and caused angry protests from Democrats and the human rights community.
The aid arm of US foreign policy, USAID funds health and emergency programmes in around 120 countries, including the world’s poorest regions.
It is seen as a vital source of soft power for the United States in its struggle for influence with rivals including China, where Musk has extensive business interests.
Musk has called USAID “a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America”. Trump said last week it was being run by a “bunch of radical lunatics”.
The assault on the agency has drawn a swift backlash from aid groups. They say it has already forced the closure of programmes including those aimed at HIV prevention and treatment. — AFP
There goes the superbowl retards...WOAHHHH, that's some half time show!!!!!
ReplyDeletehttps://t.me/professor_patriot_official/32956
Finally going to see some Super Bowl ads actually worth the money. 🔥🔥🔥
https://t.me/WeTheMedia/117778
ReplyDeleteBernie Sanders is panicking:
"What Musk is doing is illegal and unconstitutional.
You cannot go into an agency like USAID and essentially fire everybody and get rid of that agency.
You cannot withhold funds..."
Targeting USAID has caused a complete and total meltdown.
This is what being over the target is.
Rumble
Musk is doing a preemptive strike for Trump's administration.
ReplyDeleteThere just too many hidden bones buried under that outfit, especially those dealing with bioweapons researches & deployments.
By closing down USAID now, the subsequent impacts upon Trump of those disclosures of its evil deeds can be controlled & minimized!
https://t.me/geopolitics_live/43082
ReplyDelete🚨EXPOSED: 🇺🇸NED’s COVERT OPS IN SOUTH ASIA
For over 40 years, the CIA-backed National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has quietly channelled funds, fuelled protests, & manipulated narratives to advance the Deep State’s interests in 100+ countries.
💰 MULTI-BILLION Shadow Ops👇
▪️In 2010, NED requested $100M to boost democracy globally, with a focus on 🇵🇰Pakistan, where they trained journalists & worked closely with civil society.
NED further expanded to 🇳🇵Nepal, 🇱🇰Sri Lanka, 🇹🇭Thailand, and the 🇵🇭Philippines.
🇮🇳INDIA
▪️In 2016, India put NED on a watchlist for violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which controls foreign donations to local entities.
NED has funded numerous NGOs and media outlets in India, including those attempting to undermine the govt & blatantly critical of the BJP.
🇮🇩INDONESIA
▪️ NED has laid the groundwork for a colour revolution in Indonesia, funding opposition activists in the country, a leaked file obtained by MintPress News shows.
🇧🇩BANGLADESH
▪️US interfered in Bangladesh for regime change, leading the country to chaos and handing it to jihadist-minded government. The main reason behind this, according to leaked doc, was to counter India in the region and undermine its power.
As Trump has exposed USAID, will NED face the same fate?...🤔 (READ ABOUT USAID IN SOUTH ASIA HERE)
Chat | GG on Instagram | GG Movies Channel
What MAGA is doing is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
ReplyDeleteUSAID has its flaws and inefficiencies. Carrying out operations out in underdeveloped countries, some realy Bad places has high costs and sometimes "evaporated" funds.
But shutting USAID down completely is a self inflicted injury, completely ignoring the huge amount of good work that it does around the world. The key Geopolitical beneficiaries are China and Russka.
A doctor I know was and is a real America-hating Leftie (no doubt just like Ah Mok).
ReplyDeleteBut a year he spent as a volunteer with MSF in Africa really forced him to understand an inconvenient truth.
In some of the worst corners of the world, American food and medical aid is an indispensable and irreplaceable resource, often a key difference for some desperate people between survival and malnutrition or starvation.
Do you know about the matching grants scheme ? For each dollar of private American charity that goes to these global emergencies, the US Government contributes another dollar.
Donald Fuck has gutted the program.
wakakaka Monster I am starkly aware of your pledged fealty to Great White Father - it may hurt you to learn that for every $100 the wankees claimed to donate, in general $99 would be to cover the expenses of wankee officials in the project (travel, etc etc)
DeleteI DON'T HATE WANKEES IN GENERAL BUT DEFINITELY THEIR OFFICIALDOM - I KNOW OF WANKEE PRIVATE CITIZENS WHO ARE KIND, GENEROUS AND GENUINE GOD-FEARING CHRISTIANS
Delete