The Trump administration has announced a significant downsizing of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), eliminating approximately 1,600 U.S.-based positions and placing the majority of its global staff on administrative leave. This move is part of a broader effort to restructure the agency and align its operations with the administration’s priorities.
Effective as of 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, all direct hire personnel have been placed on administrative leave, except for those designated as essential for mission-critical functions and core leadership roles. The agency stated, “USAID is beginning to implement a Reduction-in-Force that will affect approximately 1,600 USAID personnel with duty stations in the United States.” Impacted individuals received notifications on February 23, 2025, outlining further instructions regarding their benefits and rights.
For overseas staff, the agency has initiated a voluntary, agency-funded return travel program, ensuring that personnel retain access to necessary resources until their return. Details regarding the retrieval of personal items from former USAID workspaces and the return of government-issued devices are forthcoming.
This decision follows a federal judge’s ruling on Friday, which permitted the administration to proceed with its restructuring plans, dismissing a lawsuit from several government unions aiming to halt the changes.
The overhaul of USAID has been significantly influenced by Elon Musk, who, under the Department of Government Efficiency, described the agency as “beyond repair” due to perceived wasteful spending on ideological projects. Consequently, USAID’s leadership has been transitioned to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and some of its office spaces have been repurposed, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) taking over a Washington, D.C., facility previously occupied by USAID.
Secretary Rubio emphasized that while the U.S. will continue to provide foreign aid, programs misaligned with national interests will be discontinued. He stated, “The goal of our endeavor has always been to identify programs that work and continue them, and to identify programs that are not aligned with our national interest… and address them.”
This restructuring reflects the administration’s commitment to streamlining government functions and ensuring that foreign aid initiatives directly serve U.S. national interests.