Recent actions by appointees of the Trump administration have led to the dismissal of hundreds of employees from the United States Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.), raising concerns about the agency's ability to respond to urgent humanitarian crises globally. According to two U.S. officials and four recent agency employees, these firings occurred amidst a broader freeze on foreign aid initiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The firings have intensified skepticism regarding Rubio's commitment to facilitating lifesaving humanitarian assistance, which he had previously pledged to uphold. Reports indicate that thousands of U.S.A.I.D. employees have already been placed on paid leave or terminated since the administration's changes began.
On Friday night, a significant wave of dismissals affected the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, with hundreds of employees receiving generic termination emails that lacked personal details. Those who spoke about the firings did so anonymously, fearing retaliation and wanting to protect their financial severance packages.
In addition to the mass layoffs in the humanitarian assistance sector, 36 individuals were also dismissed from the Office of Transition Initiatives, which focuses on political transitions and democratic efforts in partner countries. Reports suggest that approximately 400 employees were let go, including around 200 contractors who had been integral to crisis response efforts.
The Support Relief Group, which specializes in rapid responses to emergencies, has been particularly affected, with its staff reduced to about a dozen individuals after the recent cuts. Many of those dismissed had extensive experience working in high-risk areas, including Ukraine, Syria, and Afghanistan.
Pete Marocco, a State Department official, is currently overseeing day-to-day operations at U.S.A.I.D., while Rubio has taken on the role of acting administrator. Rubio has indicated that a review of foreign aid will take 90 days and has suggested that most funding may be permanently reduced, with the possibility of U.S.A.I.D. being merged into the State Department.
Despite the congressional establishment of U.S.A.I.D. and the allocation of funds for foreign aid, there has been minimal pushback from Republican lawmakers regarding the aid freeze and job cuts. Foreign aid constitutes less than 1 percent of the federal budget.
While Rubio mentioned that employees could apply for waivers to continue essential aid programs, the reality has been that few programs received approval, and operational capabilities were hampered by a dysfunctional payment system. Attempts to obtain comments from the State Department and U.S.A.I.D. regarding these developments have gone unanswered.