The Trump administration said on Sunday that it is eliminating about 1,600 U.S.-based jobs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as it continues its push to drastically curtail the scope of the organization.
The agency said as of 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, all “direct hire personnel” would be placed on administrative lead globally, with the exception of “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership,” and those in charge of a few specific programs. At the same time, USAID said that it was cutting around 1,600 positions inside the United States.
“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,” the agency said on Sunday. “Individuals that are impacted will receive specific notifications on February 23, 2025, with further instructions and information about their benefits and rights.”
Those designated “essential personnel” were notified by 5:00 pm on Sunday.
“For overseas personnel, USAID intends a voluntary Agency-funded return travel program and other benefits. USAID is committed to keeping its overseas personnel safe. Until they return home, personnel will retain access to Agency systems and to diplomatic and other resources,” the agency said. “In the coming week, we will provide details on how to retrieve personal items from the former USAID workspaces and return government issued devices.”
This announcement came after a federal judge on Friday allowed the administration to proceed with its plans to restructure USAID, rejecting a suit from several government unions that sought to halt the changes.
The Trump administration first moved earlier this month to gut USAID by placing thousands of employees on administrative leave and shifting it under the leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. As a result, some of its office spaces have been closed down, and the United States Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) recently signed an agreement to take over a Washington, D.C. office space that USAID once used.
Many of the changes to USAID were initiated by Elon Musk and Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” project. Musk said earlier this month that Trump had given him the go-ahead to start shutting down the agency due to its wasteful spending on ideological projects.
“It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm in it,” Musk said of USAID. “What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.”
Rubio has said that the U.S. would continue to provide foreign aid at some levels but would eliminate programs that don’t align with the national interest.
“The goal of our endeavor has always been to identify programs that work and continue them,” he said. “And to identify programs that are not aligned with our national interest, identify those, and address them.”