According to The Hill, US President Donald Trump is expected to formally dissolve the US Agency for International Development (USAID), with the remaining staff members perhaps receiving notice of their dismissal. The agency is also expected to merge with the State Department. The most recent action suggests that, beginning of July 1, the State Department will assume responsibility for the remaining USAID responsibilities. According to a notice, USAID’s activities will have been largely wound down or handed to State by September 2.
Remarkably, an organization that previously employed 10,000 people now employs just 900 people, according to a report to Congress that CNN was able to get. It is unclear, though, if the particular USAID programs would endure the transition.
USAID employees to be terminated either on July 1 or September 2
The remaining personnel of USAID are expected to be let go on July 1st or September 2nd, with the latter group being in charge of “winding down” the organization.
The State Department “will seek to retire USAID’s independent operation, consistent with applicable law,” according to Jeremy Lewin, a former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) who joined USAID last week, according to The Hill.
Lewin wrote, “The State Department intends to assume responsibility for many of USAID’s functions and its ongoing programming, as Secretary Rubio has stated, following congressional consultations.”
“The responsible decommissioning of USAID assets and the wind-down of the agency’s independent operations will then be overseen by the remaining USAID personnel,” Lewin continued.
Trump also issued an executive order late Thursday ordering several agencies to terminate union negotiating privileges. Since the administration categorized USAID as a national security organization, it was listed.
Trump signed executive order on USAID on January 20
Trump on January 20 issued an executive order directing a freeze of foreign assistance funding and a review of all of the tens of billions of dollars of US aid and development work abroad. He said that much of foreign assistance was wasteful and advanced a liberal agenda.
