Dozens of Senior USAID Officials Placed on Leave Amid Investigation into Alleged Resistance to President’s Orders
Dozens of senior officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were placed on administrative leave Monday amid an investigation into alleged resistance to President Donald Trump’s orders. According to Politico, at least 56 USAID officials were placed on leave with full pay and benefits, while several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere were laid off, including contractors who were employed by USAID in various locations.
The action comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting on Trump’s executive order, paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID. This pause has halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development, and security programs worldwide, forcing aid organizations to lay off hundreds of employees who cannot make payroll.
A USAID notice sent to employees stated that the action was taken after new acting administrator Jason Gray identified “several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people.” The notice did not specify which of Trump’s executive orders the officials were accused of violating.
The White House and USAID did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere were laid off, according to a current and former official.
Those placed on leave were career officials who had served in multiple administrations, including Trump’s, and were scrambling to help U.S.-funded aid organizations cope with the new funding freeze and seek waivers to continue life-saving activities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has exempted only emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign assistance.
Trump has criticized foreign aid and called for a review of U.S. aid programs to determine which put American interests first and which should be eliminated. The U.S. is the largest donor of aid globally, providing $72 billion in assistance in fiscal year 2023 and 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.
