Trump is preparing large-scale staff cuts at USAID — media

The staff of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will be cut to several hundred, a process that will begin this weekend. The Trump Administration is preparing large-scale firing around the world.

The American media reported it.

USAID cuts — what is known about the mass firing

The Trump Administration is planning a significant cut in USAID staff, cutting it from more than 10,000 employees worldwide to about 290, according to The New York Times.

According to the National Public Radio (NPR), less than 300 employees were able to avoid the cuts, although US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was initially provided with a list of approximately 600 employees deemed necessary worldwide.

According to CNN, from midnight on Friday, only 294 key employees will remain at the agency, and access to work systems, including email, will be blocked for the rest of the staff.

In January, the President of the United States Donald Trump suspended funding for the agency, pending the results of an internal review. This decision affected many international initiatives. USAID, as one of the world’s largest aid agencies, provides a significant portion of the US government’s humanitarian support to developing countries and regions in crisis.

This week, the US government announced that a significant number of its employees will be furloughed starting Friday evening. According to USAID’s website posting, all "direct hire personnel" regardless of where they work will be placed on "administrative leave", except for employees in critical positions.

USAID — latest news

USAID is an independent government agency established by the US Congress in 1961. The Agency has approximately 10,000 employees, two-thirds of whom work outside the United States. Last year, it oversaw about $50 billion worth of development projects. 

At the same time, American billionaire Elon Musk has been posting fake videos on Twitter about USAID, alleging that the Agency paid celebrities to travel to Ukraine. Ukraine stated that such disinformation discredits international support. 

Musk also blocked USAID’s account on X after he publicly expressed his criticism of USAID’s activities, accusing it of funding biological weapons research, including COVID-19. 

The Trump Administration recently accused USAID of "waste and abuse". The statement was published on the White House website.