USAID Staff Will Be Put On Leave Starting Tomorrow

Thousands of employees at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will be placed on leave from tomorrow night, the agency has said.

A USAID statement said the order would affect all “direct-hire personnel” except those on “mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs”.

It follows a string of cuts President Donald Trump has made to government-funded programmes since returning to office last month. His administration has said USAID is wasting money and needs to align with its policy priorities, reports the BBC.

Trump’s earlier decision to freeze foreign assistance has upended the global aid system, with effects already felt in countries such as Syria and Afghanistan.

In a statement on its website on Tuesday, USAID said it would work with the US Department of State to arrange and pay for return travel for its many personnel posted outside the US within the month.

And in a related development, the Argentine government led by Javier Milei has announced that it plans to pull out of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A spokesman for President Milei said the decision to exit the WHO was triggered by “deep differences regarding health management especially during the [Covid-19] pandemic”.