USAID could reduce staff to hundreds after placing most of the license

The United States foreign aid agency could see its personnel raised from approximately 10,000 to less than 300 worldwide, since the Trump administration makes great cuts to government spending.

All but a handful of essential personnel are ready to be on administrative license at midnight on Friday, including thousands based abroad. An online notice says that a plan for the return trip and the termination of non -essential contractors is being prepared.

A union that represents employees, who participates in a legal challenge for the plan, told the US BBC CBS News partner that only 294 employees have been considered essential.

Trump’s cuts for USAID, defended by their Cost Reduction Advisor Elon Musk, have overturned the global aid system, with hundreds of programs already frozen in countries around the world.

His team accuses Usaid of losing taxpayers’ money and not aligning with the “America First” policy priorities.

Surveys have indicated skepticism among many Americans for foreign aid. A March 2023 AP-NORC survey suggested that up to nine out of 10 Republicans felt that the country was spending too much.

The United States is, with much, the largest supplier of humanitarian aid worldwide. It has bases in more than 60 countries and works in dozens of others, with much of their work carried out by its contractors.

The reported cut plan that would leave less than 300 employees was described as “scandalous” by the former head of USAID Brian Atwood. Speaking to the Reuters news agency, he suggested that the measure could kill an agency that had saved millions of lives.

The Union of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), which suggested that only 294 employees were in the “Essential” list, has been associated with another labor group, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), to file a lawsuit About the plan.

In addition to Trump, the lawsuit points to the United States Department of State, Usaid, the Treasury Department, the Secretary of State and Treasury Secretary, Scott Besent.

The lawsuit argues that the President is violating the constitution of the United States and the Federal Law by trying to dismantle the agency. “Not even one of the actions of the defendants to dismantle USAID was taken in accordance with the authorization of the Congress,” he says.

“And in accordance with the Federal Statute, Congress is the only entity that can legally dismantle the agency.”

Ask that an interim independent director of the USAID is designated, so that the USAID buildings were reopened to employees, so that the USAID website is restored, which subsidies and contracts are restored and to restore the mandatory evacuation notices to the mandatory evacuation notices staff.

Ask a judge to immediately stop the implementation of the plan to “gut” USAID, that the demand signals have been headed by Elon Musk, due to the urgent need to resume to help the programs.

“These actions have generated a global humanitarian crisis by abruptly stopping the crucial work of Usaid employees, beneficiaries and contractors. They have cost thousands of American jobs. And they have prevented the national security interests of the United States,” says the demand .

Thousands of USAID workers expect them to undergo an administrative license from Friday night. A message posted on the agency’s website says that this will apply to all direct hiring staff from 23:59 EST (04:59 GMT).

On Wednesday, Rubio defended Trump’s movements against USAID, telling 200 agency workers in Guatemala that the United States does not plan to stop distributing help to foreign countries. But he said that programs must align with US priorities.

“The United States is not moving away from foreign aid,” said the main diplomat of the United States. “That is not.

“We will continue to provide foreign help and participate in programs, but it has to be programs that we can defend.”

“It has to be programs that we can explain. They must be programs that we can justify. Otherwise, we endanger foreign help.”