US Politics
More USAID staff ousted as Trump administration dismantles aid agency
February 2, 2025 at 16:43
Summary
- Nearly 100 USAID staff put on leave amid agency restructuring
- Global aid programs at risk due to US foreign aid freeze
- USAID website down, signaling potential agency closure
WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The Trump administration over the weekend put on administrative leave dozens more staff at U.S. Agency for International Development, three sources familiar with the move said, as it moves to abolish the agency's independence and bring it under the control of the State Department.
Nearly 30 career staff in the agency's Legislative and Public Affairs bureau lost access overnight to their emails, the sources said, bringing the total number of senior USAID career staff who have been put on leave over the past week close to 100.
Two senior officials overseeing the agency's security operations were also put on administrative leave after refusing to hand over classified documents to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials, one of the sources said.
Matt Hopson, who was appointed as chief of staff by the Trump administration, has resigned, five sources familiar with the matter said. A congressional source said his resignation followed the security personnel being put on leave. USAID did not respond to a request about Hopson.
The purge follows more than a week of mayhem inside USAID, Washington's primary agency funding billions of dollars' worth of life-saving aid globally. President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on almost all U.S. foreign aid, saying his administration will review spending to ensure money is distributed in line with his "America First" foreign policy.
The global freeze on most of U.S. foreign aid is already sending shockwaves around the world. Field hospitals in Thai refugee camps, landmine clearance in war zones, and drugs to treat millions suffering from diseases such as HIV are among the programs at risk of elimination.
U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast on Sunday said that he supported moving USAID under the State Department and that there needs to be "more command and control".
Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" if congressional approval was needed or whether Trump could act unilaterally, Mast did not answer but said restructuring was needed.
The "purging of people throughout the State Department, other agencies" and freezing aid were "all very important and necessary steps to make sure that we secure America," he said.
Representatives for the State Department and USAID did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, billionaire Trump ally Musk on Sunday continued to slam the State Department and USAID in his posts and reposts on X. Trump has tasked Musk with leading a federal cost-cutting panel with broad oversight powers. Officials from DOGE have made frequent visits to USAID headquarters in Washington.
On Sunday, Musk accused USAID of being "a criminal organization" without providing any evidence and added "Time for it to die".
Peter Marocco was appointed as head of the Office of Foreign Assistance at the State Department and is leading the agency's sweeping changes, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Marocco previously served in Trump's first administration in the Department of Defense. The State Department did not respond to questions about Marocco.
USAID's website has been down since Saturday afternoon, a sign that the end is near for the agency, whose funding goes to programs on everything from women's health in conflict zones to access to clean water, HIV/AIDS treatments, energy security and anti-corruption work.
Reuters reported on Friday that the National Security Council hosted discussions this week on the topic and that the White House was exploring legal authorities that Trump could use to issue an executive order to end USAID's independence.
Reporting by Jonathan Landay, Humeyra Pamuk, Andrea Shalal, Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis in Panama City, additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Writing by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Lisa Shumaker
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