The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced that it would place its staff both in the US and abroad on administrative leave and begin recalling employees from their overseas assignments.
According to a statement posted on its website, this leave will take effect just before midnight on February 7, 2024.
The administrative leave will apply to all USAID direct hire personnel, with exceptions for those handling mission-critical functions, core leadership roles, and specifically designated programs. The statement also thanked employees for their service.
This action is part of a broader initiative championed by former President Donald Trump and his business ally, Elon Musk, to downsize the federal government.
The announcement has sent shockwaves through Washington, sparking protests from Democrats and human rights organizations.
USAID plays a crucial role in funding health and emergency programs in over 120 countries, including some of the world’s most impoverished regions.
The agency is a key element of US soft power, helping the country maintain influence globally, particularly in competition with rival nations like China—where Musk holds significant business interests.
Musk has been outspoken in his criticism of USAID, calling it “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and has pledged to shut the agency down.
Among his various, often unsubstantiated, allegations are claims that USAID conducts “rogue CIA operations” and funded research into bioweapons, including the COVID-19 virus, which he asserts has caused millions of deaths.
Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has major government contracts and was a prominent financial supporter of Trump’s campaign.
He has said that he personally obtained approval from Trump for the unprecedented decision to place USAID employees on leave.
The move against USAID fits into a long-standing narrative pushed by conservative and libertarian factions within the Republican Party, who argue that the US should prioritize domestic needs over foreign aid.
USAID describes its mission as striving “to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing US security and prosperity.”
In 2023, the most recent year for which full data is available, the top recipients of USAID aid were Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Jordan, with Ukraine receiving over $16 billion in macroeconomic support due to the ongoing conflict. Other major recipients included the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Syria.
Founded in 1961, USAID operates on a budget exceeding $40 billion—small relative to the US government’s total annual spending, which surpasses $7 trillion.
Despite its size, the United States remains the world’s largest provider of official development assistance, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
