Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - U.S. President, Donald Trump has suspended dozens of government officials for trying to block his executive order on freezing all foreign aid.
Dozens of career government officials at the U.S. Agency for
International Development were placed on leave on Monday, January 27. One
agency staffer told the Wall Street Journal that 57 people were
affected.
'We have identified several actions within USAID that appear to be
designed to circumvent the President's Executive orders and the mandate from
the American people,' said the newly installed acting administrator, Jason
Gray, in an email obtained by The Washington Post.
'As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on
administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice.'
Trump, on January 24th, declared the State Department and the U.S.
AID 'shall not provide foreign assistance' until a high-level review of the
programs is completed, except for Israel and Egypt and in severe cases where
emergency food assistance is needed.
The 90-day pause is to ensure all programs conform with Trump's 'America
First' policy and the administration threatened 'disciplinary action' for any
staff ignoring the orders.
Several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere also were
laid off, the officials said.
It follows Trump’s executive order last week that directed a sweeping
90-day pause on most U.S. foreign assistance disbursed through the State
Department.
As a result of the freeze, thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian,
development, and security programs worldwide had stopped work or were preparing
to do so. Without funds to pay staff, aid organizations were laying off
hundreds of employees.
An internal USAID notice sent late Monday and obtained by The Associated
Press said new acting administrator Jason Gray had identified “several actions
within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive
Orders and the mandate from the American people.”
“As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on
administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we
complete our analysis of these actions,” Gray wrote.
The senior agency officials put on leave were experienced employees who
had served in multiple administrations, including Trump’s, the former USAID
official said.
Before those officials were removed from the job Monday, they were
scrambling to help U.S.-funded aid organizations cope with the new funding
freeze and seek waivers to continue life-saving activities, from getting clean
water to war-displaced people in Sudan to continuing to monitor for bird flu
globally, the former official said.
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