The Trump administration announced the dismissal of 1,600 USAID employees.

This is reported by AP, as conveyed by Ukrinform.

This action was taken after a federal judge permitted the administration to proceed with its plan to lay off thousands of USAID employees in the U.S. and worldwide. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols rejected employees' requests to temporarily block the government's plan.

“As of 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID personnel employed directly, except for designated staff responsible for critical functions, senior management, and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally,” stated communications sent to USAID employees that were reviewed by the Associated Press.

At the same time, USAID announced that it is initiating a “staff reduction” process, resulting in the elimination of at least 1,600 positions.

Within hours of this announcement, individual employees began receiving notifications regarding their impending layoffs.

Trump-appointed USAID Deputy Director Pete Marocco stated that he plans to retain about 600 employees, primarily based in the U.S., partly to facilitate travel for USAID employees and their families abroad.

This move continues a month-long campaign to dismantle the agency, which has included the closure of its headquarters in Washington and the termination of thousands of aid programs worldwide.

Trump and Musk claim that USAID's work is wasteful and promotes a liberal agenda.

In lawsuits filed by unions representing federal employees, USAID contractors, and others, it is argued that the Trump administration lacks constitutional authority to dismantle an independent agency or federally funded programs without the approval of lawmakers.

As reported by Ukrinform, on January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to suspend all foreign aid programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they align with his policy goals.

Later, Donald Trump called for the closure of USAID due to corruption and fraud.

Subsequently, the largest unions in the U.S. – the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Association of Foreign Service Workers – sued the Trump administration, seeking to halt the closure of USAID.

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