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The President of the United States (US), Donald Trump has officially dismissed about 1,600 employees of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in a bid to reduce foreign aid.
This was revealed via a statement by the agency’s Acting Administrator, Marco Rubio, on Sunday, February 23.
The statement read, “All USAID direct hire personnel, except designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership, and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally.
“Concurrently, USAID is beginning to implement a Reduction-in-Force that will affect approximately 1,600 USAID personnel with duty stations in the United States.”
Rubio also noted that USAID is arranging flights for its overseas staff, with all expenses covered by the agency.
He stated that these employees will continue to have access to its systems and diplomatic channels until they return to their home countries.
The world’s wealthiest man and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk had earlier on Sunday, February 2, referred to USAID as a ‘criminal organisation that needs to be shut down.’
Musk also mentioned that President Trump had agreed to close USAID.
Furthermore, DOGE confirmed they were already in the process of shutting down the agency.
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