The administration of US President Donald Trump has decided to lay off or furlough almost all employees of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), according to a report by Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera on Monday (February 24).
The agency said in a notice on its website that all USAID employees, except for essential/leadership staff, will be placed on administrative leave. The decision will be effective at 11:59 p.m. local time on Sunday. The notice also said that approximately 1,600 U.S.-based employees will also be laid off.
Al Jazeera says that an email was sent to the employees on February 23. The email also mentioned their benefits and rights along with instructions.
In addition, the organization has announced that essential or leadership staff who will continue to work will also be emailed.
The cuts to USAID are being overseen by Elon Musk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump and the world's richest man, and the administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by him.
Earlier this month, Elon Musk strongly criticized USAID, calling it a terrorist organization.
On February 2, Elon Musk said that USAID has funded biological weapons research with the American people's tax money. At the same time, the organization has spent money on spreading propaganda. Therefore, it is time for the organization to "die."
At that time, Musk shared three posts on social media, saying, "You know, USAID has funded bioweapons research with your tax dollars. This includes germs like Covid-19, which have killed millions of people."
At the same time, Elon Musk shared a tweet from Mike Benz, saying that USAID had given huge amounts of money to the media to spread propaganda. Then in another tweet, he declared that USAID should die. Since then, USAID employees have been laid off.
