As part of its efforts to shut down the US Agency for International Development ( USAID), the Trump administration made a plan to significantly reduce the number of staff members for US aid programs on Thursday. Less than 300 of the countless people already employed by the agency may be affected by the proposed plan.
Two recent USAID workers and a former top official were cited as saying the program on Thursday, according to the news agency Associated Press.
The plan may reduce the number of employees to fewer than 300 from the latest 8, 000 strong employees and vendors, the AP report said. A small number of 5, 000 local employees working abroad may continue to oversee a few support programs, according to the administration.
Whether or not this reduction may get temporary or permanent is a subject for speculation. The Trump presidency has stated that it is looking into which support and development initiatives may begin in the future.
Speaking in the Dominican Republic, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that the country would continue to provide international support.
However, he said to reporters,” It will be international aid that makes sense and is in line with our national attention.”
The Trump administration, along with Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency ( DOGE ), has focused on cutting USAID as part of broader efforts to reduce government programs.
Most USAID applications have been put on hold worldwide since President Donald Trump took office on January 20 due to a financing freeze. Almost all agency workers have taken administrative left or furlough. Trump and Musk have discussed reviving USAID’s status as an independent organization and transferring its remaining courses to the State Department.
According to Democrat lawmakers and another, these activities need the approval of the Congress and cannot be done in isolation.
