Trump administration targets dozens of senior USAID staff after aid freeze

President Donald Trump's administration has put on leave about 60 senior career officials at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), sources familiar with the matter said, after Washington put a sweeping freeze on US aid worldwide.

The administration on Saturday urged USAID staff to help transform how Washington allocates aid around the world in line with Trump's "America First" policy and threatened "disciplinary action" for any staff ignoring its orders.

An internal memo sent to USAID employees on Monday night said the new leadership identified several actions in the agency that "appeared to be designed to circumvent the president's executive orders and the mandate from the American people".

"As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of the actions," acting administrator Jason Gray said in the memo, reviewed by Reuters.

The administration's actions threaten life-saving aid from the world's largest single donor. In fiscal year 2023, the US disbursed $72bn (R1.3-trillion) in assistance. It provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the UN in 2024.

The memo did not spell out how many people were affected by the decision, but six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters it was about 57 to 60 people.

Those being put on leave comprised career staff in leadership positions at almost all USAID bureaus based in Washington, with roles ranging from energy security to water security, children's education and digital technology, two of the sources said. Staff in the agency's general counsel's office were among those targeted.

"People are calling it the Monday afternoon massacre," said Francisco Bencosme, who was USAID's China policy lead until earlier this month.

"The decision undermines our national security and emboldens our adversaries. Instead of focusing on China, North Korea, or Russia, the Trump administration is going after public servants who have served multiple administrations, including the first Trump administration."

USAID did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Politico was first to report people were put on leave.

Officials put on leave said they received an email with a memo on Monday afternoon informing them they were being placed on excused absence, otherwise known as administrative leave, effective immediately, and no reason was provided.

It said they must be available by telephone and email during normal work hours and must remain available to report to work if directed to do so, but were not to enter USAID premises or access USAID systems.

One senior official put on leave said they had sought to help implement the executive orders.

"This is a serious dismantling of an entire agency," the official said.

Since returning to office last week, the administration has reassigned or fired hundreds of workers in several agencies, aiming to fulfill Trump's vow to remake a federal bureaucracy he believes was hostile to him during his 2017-2021 presidency.

Hours after taking office, Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid to review if it was aligned with his foreign policy priorities. On Friday, the state department issued a stop work order worldwide for existing assistance.

A second memo on Saturday made it clear to USAID staff that the pause on foreign aid spending meant “a complete halt”. The only exceptions are for emergency humanitarian food assistance and for officials returning to their duty stations.

Further waivers could be issued but will require substantial justification and are subject to a double-layered approval process that includes a final say from secretary of state Marco Rubio.

USAID-funded programmes help millions of people around the world fight against HIV/Aids and provide support for everything from access to clean water, healthcare infrastructure and childrens' health.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Monday called for the US to consider additional exemptions.

Jeremy Konyndyk, a former USAID official who is president of Refugees International, said: "If this is not reversed, it will wreck US foreign aid. It would permanently weaken USAID."

Reuters