"All Employees Placed on Administrative Leave Except for Key Personnel
Support for Overseas Staff to Return Within 30 Days"
NYT: "10,000 Employees Stationed Overseas Alone"
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced through a notice that "as of 11:59 PM on the 7th (local time), a global administrative leave will be implemented for all employees directly hired by USAID, except for some key positions." Photo by USAID official website
The second Trump administration is accelerating the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the foreign aid organization, despite various legal violations and diplomatic faux pas controversies. It has also officially announced plans to place all employees, including over 10,000 overseas staff, on administrative leave as of the 7th (local time), leaving only a minimal number of personnel.
On the 6th, USAID stated in a notice, "As of 11:59 PM on the 7th (local time), all employees directly employed by USAID, except for some key positions, will be placed on worldwide administrative leave."
It added, "For employees stationed outside the United States, plans are being prepared to enable their return to the U.S. within 30 days," and "Personal Service Contracts (PSC) and Institutional Service Contracts (ISC) that are not considered essential personnel will also be terminated."
Administrative leave means that employees are officially relieved from their duties but generally continue to receive pay. It is distinct from permanent dismissal but is compulsory since it is not at the employee's voluntary request. While typically used for internal organizational issues such as restructuring, USAID's case, which is a policy decision, is unusual.
According to The New York Times (NYT), approximately 10,000 USAID employees are stationed overseas, with 1,400 employees within the United States. About 100 senior staff members are already on administrative leave, and hundreds of contract employees have been ordered to cease work.
Internal opposition is also strong. The NYT reported that the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) sent an email to its members criticizing the unnecessary and radical measures and stated that it is exploring legal actions to protect its members. AFSA is a professional association and labor union representing U.S. diplomats and employees engaged in overseas diplomatic work.
The Department of Education is considered the next likely target. On the 3rd (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that Trump administration aides are drafting an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education.
They are discussing the specific contents and timing of the executive order, including options to abolish all functions of the Department of Education not mandated by law or to transfer certain functions to other departments. The Office of Management and Budget is also reviewing the Department of Education. More than 60 Department of Education employees have been on paid leave since the 31st of last month.
This move is to fulfill President Trump's campaign promise to eliminate the Department of Education and limit federal involvement in education, thereby granting more authority to the states. The Heritage Foundation's policy proposal "Project 2025," known as the "Trump 2.0 manifesto," also called for the abolition of the Department of Education. The U.S. conservative faction has strongly criticized the Biden administration's Department of Education measures, such as student loan forgiveness and protections for sexual minorities.
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