US President Donald Trump speaks while signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, 20 January 2025. (Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA / Bloomberg via Getty Images) An internal memo sent to USAID employees on Monday evening said the new leadership identified several actions in the agency that "appeared to be designed to circumvent the President's Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people."
"As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions," Acting Administrator Jason Gray said in the memo, reviewed by Reuters.
The administration's actions threaten billions of dollars of life-saving aid from the world's largest single donor. In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. disbursed $72 billion in assistance. It provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.
The memo did not spell out how many people were affected by the decision, but five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that it was around 57 to 60 people.
Those being put on leave comprised career staff in the leadership positions of almost all USAID bureaus based in Washington, with roles ranging from energy security to water security, children's education and digital technology, two of the sources said. Staff in the agency's general counsel's office were among those targeted.
"People are calling it the Monday afternoon massacre," said Francisco Bencosme, who was USAID's China policy lead until earlier this month.
"This decision undermines our national security and emboldens our adversaries ... Instead of focusing on China, North Korea, or Russia, the Trump Administration is going after public servants who have served multiple administrations - including the first Trump administration."
USAID did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Life-saving support
Since returning to office last week, the administration has reassigned or fired hundreds of workers in several agencies, aiming to fulfil Trump's vow to remake a federal bureaucracy he believes was hostile to him during his 2017-2021 presidency.
Hours after taking office, Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid to review if it was aligned with his foreign policy priorities. On Friday, the State Department issued a stop-work order worldwide even for existing assistance.
A second memo on Saturday made it clear to USAID staff that the pause on foreign aid spending meant “a complete halt”. The only exceptions are for emergency humanitarian food assistance and for officials returning to their duty stations.
Further waivers could be issued but will require substantial justification and are subject to a double-layered approval process that includes a final say from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
USAID-funded programs help millions of people around the world fight against HIV/AIDS and provide support for everything from access to clean water, healthcare infrastructure and childrens' health.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for the United States to consider additional exemptions.
"If this is not reversed, it will wreck U.S. foreign aid... It would permanently weaken USAID," said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former USAID official who is now president of Refugees International.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis; Editing by Sonali Paul)