USAID Workers Forced to Vacate Headquarters as Trump Slashes Foreign Aid.
Washington: Workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were granted brief access to their Washington headquarters on Thursday to collect personal belongings and clear out their desks.
This came a day after President Donald Trump’s administration announced more than a 90% cut to the agency’s aid contracts.
In January, Trump issued a 90-day halt on all foreign aid to conduct a comprehensive review, ensuring that U.S. taxpayer-funded projects aligned with his “America First” policy. The resulting stop-work orders disrupted USAID operations worldwide, jeopardizing food and medical aid deliveries and throwing global humanitarian relief into disarray.
As part of his broader initiative to reduce federal government spending, Trump assigned billionaire and adviser Elon Musk to oversee the dismantling of USAID, citing concerns over wasteful spending and misuse of funds. Thousands of employees were placed on leave, and contractors were terminated, with many workers barred from re-entering the agency’s headquarters.
USAID workers exiting the building on Thursday were met with applause from colleagues and members of the public. An emotional scene unfolded as employees carried boxes of personal belongings. Among them was an 8-year-old girl holding a sign that read, “I’m proud of you, Daddy,” while gripping a U.S. flag. Her mother, standing nearby under an umbrella, expressed concerns about retaliation, saying, “We are still processing being called criminals for serving our country for 30 years.”
Angela Stephens, a USAID communications department employee since 2008, described the moment as heartbreaking.
“There is always change when a new administration comes in. What we didn’t expect was the complete dissolution of our agency. I don’t know what I’m going to do next.”
A U.S. State Department spokesperson stated on Wednesday that USAID reviewed 6,200 multi-year awards, deciding to eliminate nearly 5,800 contracts worth approximately $54 billion, reducing funding by 92%. The spokesperson noted that critical aid programs, including food assistance and HIV treatment, would continue.
However, sources revealed that major U.S.-funded HIV/AIDS programs in South Africa would not see their funding resumed. Similarly, a global nonprofit working on malaria, maternal health, and newborn care lost the majority of its contracts.
Documents reviewed by Reuters confirmed that UNAIDS, the United Nations agency tackling HIV and AIDS, had its USAID contract terminated. The Trump administration expedited the review process following a federal judge’s intervention, which initially mandated the release of frozen funds to foreign aid recipients. However, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily paused the order late Wednesday.
With USAID in turmoil and thousands of employees left uncertain about their future, the sweeping cuts signal a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign aid policy under the Trump administration.
