USAID Employees Worldwide Will Be Ordered to Stop Working Friday, Must Return to the US

In a sweeping move to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Trump administration has ordered nearly all agency employees worldwide to stop working by Friday and return to the United States within 30 days.

The directive, confirmed by the Trump administration on Tuesday, follows weeks of speculation about the agency's future. USAID had already been weakened by mass layoffs and a freeze on foreign aid under the administration's broader push to shrink the federal government. Efforts to consolidate the agency into the State Department had been considered, but this abrupt move represents the most extreme option, AP reported.

Thousands of staffers overseas and in Washington will be placed on leave, and billions of dollars in aid programs—including security assistance to Ukraine, education programs in Afghanistan, and global health initiatives—will be abandoned. The closure of USAID's Washington headquarters on Monday signaled the severity of the shutdown, with agency servers reportedly removed.

Elon Musk, head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) targeted the agency, among others deemed unnecessary by the billionaire tech CEO. Musk's appointment as a "special government employee" has raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers who question the legality of Musk's access to and influence on federal operations.

The USAID was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to "promote and demonstrate democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful and prosperous world," providing humanitarian aid mainly in the form of food, healthcare and education.

Foreign policy experts and lawmakers from both parties have condemned the termination of USAID, warning that it undermines U.S. influence abroad and benefits geopolitical rivals like China and Russia. USAID is legally an independent agency, and some lawmakers argue that shutting it down requires congressional approval. The American Foreign Service Association, which represents U.S. diplomats, has vowed legal action.

The decision has left thousands of Americans employed overseas by USAID scrambling to relocate. The administration has said it will review case-by-case exceptions, though with staff being let go en masse, the process for such requests remains uncertain.

The agency's website, taken offline over the weekend, returned Tuesday night with a single notice: the order for global staff to cease work and return home.