US Agency for International Development staff around the world will be placed on administrative leave Friday and ordered to return to the US, according to a directive issued Tuesday night.
As of 11:59 p.m. ET Friday, “all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs,” said a statement posted on the USAID website, which is back online after going dark last week.
The statement said it is preparing a plan for personnel posted outside the United States “under which the Agency would arrange and pay for return travel to the United States within 30 days” and terminate “contracts that are not determined to be essential.”
As the name implies, a direct hire is a government official directly employed by the US government, as opposed to contractors, who make up a large part of the USAID workforce. Many of those contractors have already been furloughed or laid off. Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Thursday afternoon.
The statement on the website ends with: “Thank you for your service.” The directive comes as the Trump administration has begun dismantling the agency and frozen almost all foreign aid as it signals it plans to fully abolish it as an independent agency.
Credit: cnn.com
