Wed Feb 05 20:12:34 UTC 2025: ## Trump Administration Orders Near-Total Shutdown of USAID

**Washington, D.C. – February 5, 2025** – The Trump administration announced a sweeping dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), effectively ending its six-decade mission of providing foreign aid. Thousands of USAID workers worldwide have been ordered to return home within 30 days, with only a small number deemed essential remaining on the job.

The move, which had been rumored for days, follows a series of actions by the administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to drastically reduce federal spending. This includes a spending freeze that has halted numerous aid projects, widespread layoffs, and the closure of the agency’s Washington headquarters. Musk publicly boasted about the shutdown on social media.

The decision impacts billions of dollars in projects across approximately 120 countries, including crucial security assistance to partners like Ukraine and development programs focusing on clean water, job training, and education. Vital health initiatives, such as those combating HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases, have already been suspended. Millions of dollars worth of aid supplies are currently stranded in ports due to the shutdown.

The administration argues that much of USAID’s spending is wasteful and that all aid must directly advance U.S. national interests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while expressing continued support for foreign aid, emphasized this point. However, critics argue that the shutdown violates existing legislation, requires Congressional approval, and undermines U.S. influence globally.

The abrupt nature of the shutdown has caused significant hardship for USAID employees, many of whom have been forced to make hasty arrangements, including removing children from school and rehoming pets. The American Foreign Service Association is preparing legal action to challenge the decision. Locally employed staff, lacking similar protections, face particularly dire consequences.

The USAID website, briefly taken offline, now features a notice detailing the recall and termination orders. While the administration claims to be making case-by-case exceptions for essential personnel, the process for handling these requests remains unclear with most of the agency’s staff soon to be off the job. The decision is expected to result in tens of millions of dollars in additional costs for employee relocation. The long-term consequences of this dramatic shutdown on global stability and U.S. foreign policy remain to be seen.

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