The US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced that most of its employees will be placed on leave or fired by midnight Sunday as part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to cut government spending.
Around 1,600 US-based workers are set to be laid off, with all other staff globally—except those in critical roles—put on administrative leave. The agency, which employs over 10,000 people, runs humanitarian and development programs worldwide.
This move follows a federal judge lifting a legal block on Trump’s plan to drastically reduce USAID’s operations. Critics warn the cuts could harm US “soft power” abroad.
