The administration of US President Donald Trump has begun mass layoffs at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which will affect thousands of employees. This is stated in a statement published on the agency's website.
According to the document, at 23:59 (06:59 Bulgarian time on February 24) the majority of the agency's employees around the world will be sent on administrative leave. An exception will be made for USAID personnel responsible for executing critical missions and special programs, as well as providing essential leadership.
“At the same time, USAID is beginning a workforce reduction that will affect approximately 1,600 U.S.-based employees,“ the statement said.
USAID employees stationed abroad have been given the opportunity to return to the United States at government expense and receive certain benefits. As The Washington Post explains, about 2,000 agency employees sent to other countries may be subject to layoffs.
The U.S. administration effectively suspended USAID operations on February 3. Trump appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to act as the agency's interim head. The measures against USAID were taken at the initiative of American entrepreneur Elon Musk, whom Trump had previously appointed as head of the new agency to improve the efficiency of the US government, reduce the bloated state apparatus and fight bureaucracy.
On the night of January 25, Politico reported that Rubio had ordered an immediate 90-day suspension of funding for almost all foreign aid programs, including USAID. It was noted that decisions to continue, change or terminate funding programs would be made based on the results of an audit conducted by the head of US diplomacy.
The actions of the Republican Trump administration in relation to USAID, which was one of the instruments of foreign policy and a conduit of US influence in other countries, caused a storm of protests among members of the Democratic Party. USAID is formally an independent agency, but in reality it operates within the State Department.
Media reports on February 6 said that USAID's staff would be cut from an estimated 10,000 to 13,000 people to 294.
The leadership of several US agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pentagon, the State Department, the National Intelligence Service and the Department of Homeland Security, ordered their subordinates not to respond to a request from the US Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to report on their work done during the week, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
Earlier, DOGE CEO Elon Musk announced that US government employees would receive emails demanding that they report on their work done during the week and that failure to respond would be considered a resignation.
The order not to comply with the request could is considered one of the first serious tests of the extent of Musk's powers, the publication writes. It also shows that behind the scenes in the administration of US President Donald Trump, dissatisfaction with the actions of the businessman is growing, the publication believes.
According to Reuters, government officials in some agencies received the relevant emails as early as Saturday evening. The subject of the email is: “What did you do last week?“ In response, government officials had until today to submit a five-point report on the work done.
After taking office on January 20, Trump appointed Musk to head DOGE. This structure has begun a large-scale audit of US budget spending. Overall, Musk expects to reduce government spending by $ 2 trillion.