The Trump administration has put on leave about 60 senior career officials at the US Agency for International Development (USAid) workers, sources familiar with the matter said, after Washington put a sweeping freeze on US aid worldwide.
The administration on Saturday urged the USAid staff to join the effort to transform how Washington allocates aid around the world in line with Trump’s “America First” policy. It also threatened “disciplinary action” for any staff ignoring the administration’s orders.
An internal memo sent to USAid employees on Monday evening said the new leadership identified several actions in the agency that “appeared to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people”.
“As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions,” said the acting administrator, Jason Gray, in the memo reviewed by Reuters.
The memo did not spell out how many people were affected by the decision, but five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that it was about 57 to 60 people.
Those being put on leave comprised career staff in the leadership positions of almost all USAid bureaus based in Washington, with roles ranging from energy security to water security, children’s education overseas and digital technology, two of the sources said. Staff in the agency’s general counsel’s office were among those targeted.
“People are calling it the Monday afternoon massacre,” said Francisco Bencosme, who was USAid’s China policy lead until earlier this month.
“This decision undermines our national security and emboldens our adversaries … Instead of focusing on China, North Korea, or Russia, the Trump administration is going after public servants who have served multiple administrations – including the first Trump administration.”
USAid did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Since returning to office last week, Trump has taken steps toward fulfilling his vow to remake a federal bureaucracy he believes was hostile to him during his 2017-2021 presidency. He has reassigned or fired hundreds of workers in moves against a swath of agencies.
Hours after taking office, Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid to review if it was aligned with his foreign policy priorities. On Friday, the state department issued a stop-work order worldwide even for existing assistance, calling into question billions of dollars of life-saving aid.
A second memo on Saturday made it clear to USAid staff that the pause on foreign aid spending meant “a complete halt”. The only exceptions are for emergency humanitarian food assistance and for officials returning to their duty stations.
Further waivers could be issued but will require substantial justification and are subject to a double-layered approval process that includes a final say from the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
USAid-funded programs help millions of people around the world fight against HIV/Aids and provide support for everything from access to clean water, healthcare infrastructure and children’s health.
António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, on Monday called for the US to consider additional exemptions.
“If this is not reversed, it will wreck US foreign aid … It would permanently weaken USAid,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former USAid official who is now president of Refugees International.