The US government’s humanitarian agency USAID on Tuesday announced it was placing its staff in the United States and around the world on administrative leave as it moved to recall employees from overseas postings.
The agency said in a statement on its website that the staff leave will begin shortly before midnight on February 7 and will concern “all USAID direct hire personnel… with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.”
“Thank you for your service,” the statement read.
The move is part of President Trump’s drive to shrink the US government, which has caused angry protests from Democrats and the human rights community.
The aid arm of US foreign policy, USAID funds health and emergency programs in around 120 countries, including the world’s poorest countries.
It is seen as a vital source of soft power for the United States in its struggle for influence with rivals including China.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s has called USAID “a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America” and has vowed to shut it down.
Among other criticisms, which Musk has not substantiated, he claims USAID does “rogue CIA work” and even “funded bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people.”
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO — who has massive contracts with the US government and was the biggest financial backer of Trump’s campaign — said he had personally cleared the unprecedented move with the president.
The agency describes itself as working “to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing our security and prosperity.”