US media: Trump administration to lay off almost 10,000 USAID staff, leaving fewer than 300 employees and sparking backlash

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