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Trump demands USAID shutdown as mass suspensions, layoffs begin

2 min read
Trump demands USAID shutdown as mass suspensions, layoffs begin
Donald Trump, then-Republican presidential nominee, arrives at a town hall campaign event at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. on Oct. 20, 2024. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)

Editor's Note: Read the latest update on the Trump administration's layoffs at USAID.

U.S. President Donald Trump called on Feb. 7 for the immediate closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), just hours before most of its staff faced suspension or layoffs.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump accused the agency of widespread corruption and fraud, declaring, "CLOSE IT DOWN!" He had previously described USAID as being "run by radical lunatics."

The call to shut down USAID coincided with an expected wave of administrative leave notices and contract terminations. Most direct hires at the agency were set to be placed on indefinite leave, while contractors faced layoffs. A notice posted on USAID’s website informed foreign service officers that the agency would pay for their return to the United States within 30 days, with limited case-by-case extensions available.

Overnight, the agency modified its guidance, allowing foreign service officers to remain overseas at their own expense. A newly added FAQ on the USAID website clarified that those who chose to stay abroad would have to cover their own travel costs. However, it remained unclear whether they would continue receiving cost-of-living subsidies while on administrative leave.

The abrupt changes left many foreign service officers scrambling to determine their next steps. The initial directive sparked widespread concern, as aid workers questioned how they could relocate their families on such short notice. The revised policy, while permitting them to stay, offered little reassurance to those facing potential job losses.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, USAID has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and more than $30 billion in direct budget support, helping to rebuild schools after Russian attacks, pay for bomb shelters, advanced medical equipment for hospitals and much more.

US foreign aid transformed Ukraine. Its suspension threatens decades of work
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent isn’t a recipient of U.S. foreign aid, and its funding wasn’t affected by the aid freeze. With the stroke of a pen, U.S. President Donald Trump last week put a freeze on projects that have helped Ukraine become freer and
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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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