The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) could be losing all but a handful of staff after President Donald Trump and his administration presented a plan to dramatically cut staffing worldwide.
If the plan is implemented, fewer than 300 employees would be left out of 8,000 staff members and contractors currently working with the agency, according to The New York Times.
Associated Press further reported that the Trump administration had given USAID employees around the world, 30-days starting Friday, to come back to the U.S. and the government will cover their travel and moving costs. However, those who choose to stay longer, would be required to pay for their own expenses unless they are granted a hardship waiver.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reportedly said that foreign aid will continue, but told reporters during a trip to the Dominican Republic that “it is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest.”
Democrat lawmakers called the move illegal because it is being done without the approval of Congress. The American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees filed a lawsuit, asking a federal court to reopen USAID buildings in Washington, restore funding, and return employees to work.
In the lawsuit, it states government officials “failed to acknowledge the catastrophic consequences of their actions, both as they pertain to American workers, the lives of millions around the world, and to U.S. national interests.”
The plan to drop thousands of USAID workers is the latest in a string of proposals to cut workers from the federal books, which has been met with resistance from workers unions. On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration and DOGE’s plan to buyout federal employees, which affects around 2 million workers. The case will be going back into a hearing Monday.
