USAID Shake-up: Global Aid Agency Slashed Under Trump Administration

The Trump administration has enforced significant staff cuts at the US Agency for International Development, leaving fewer than 300 of the thousands of current employees. The restructuring, supposedly for a program review, has drawn legal challenges over its potential illegality without congressional approval.

Most employees of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) began forced leaves globally as federal workers' associations sought legal intervention against Trump administration orders. The orders have led to the dismantling of most of the agency and US-funded aid programs worldwide.

The administration's plan would slash the agency's workforce from over 8,000 to fewer than 300, according to USAID insiders. An unnamed former senior official revealed administration orders prohibited staffers from disclosing information outside the agency.

This downsizing has resulted in Democratic lawmakers filing lawsuits, deeming the move unlawful without congressional consent. Concerns loom over the impact on American workers and global aid beneficiaries, with the Trump administration still reviewing which programs to maintain.

(With inputs from agencies.)