WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said on Sunday that it will join U.S. international development agencies worldwide and eliminate 2,000 US-based staff positions.
The move is the latest and greatest step towards what President Donald Trump and cost-cutting ally Elon Musk say is their goal to take away six-year-old aid development institutions with a wider campaign. It was one. Federal government.
The move comes after a federal judge on Friday allowed the administration to move forward with plans to separate thousands of USAID staff from work from the US and around the world. US District Judge Carl Nichols refused a plea in a lawsuit from an employee to continue temporarily blocking government plans.
“As of 11:59pm EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAIDs except for designated personnel responsible for mission-critical features, core leadership and/or specially designated programs. Direct employment officers will be placed on administrative leave. Globally, according to notifications sent to USAID workers viewed by the Associated Press.
At the same time, the agency said it was beginning to cut its power to eliminate 2,000 US-based staff. This means that many Washington-based staff who are placed on vacation will quickly eliminate their positions.
Flowers and Signs will be located outside the headquarters of the United States International Development Agency or USAID on Friday, February 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Trump’s appointee, who serves as USAID, Pete Marrocco, has indicated plans to keep around 600 US-based staff members on the job during that time.
USAID and the State Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The move escalates a month-long push, including closing its Washington headquarters and closing thousands of aid and development programs around the world following efforts to freeze all foreign aid. Trump and Musk argue that USAID’s work is useless and promotes a liberal agenda.
The lawsuits by government workers unions, USAID contractors and others say the administration lacks constitutional authority to eliminate programs funded by independent bodies or legislatures without the approval of lawmakers.
The Trump administration’s efforts support decades of US policy in which aid and development abroad can help national security by stabilizing the region and economy and building alliances.
According to a copy seen by the AP, the shooting and leaf notifications are on top of hundreds of USAID contractors who have received no name form letters last week.
The comprehensive nature of notification letters to USAID contractors may exclude the names or positions of those who received them, making it difficult for fired workers to obtain unemployment benefits, and The workers pointed out.
Another judge in a second case related to USAID temporarily blocked a freeze on foreign funding, and last week the administration continued to withhold aid despite his court order, at least around the world He said funding for the programme must be temporarily restored.
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