USAID workers say goodbye to headquarters as Trump drastically cuts foreign aid

Highlights: 

• Workers collect belongings from Washington HQ
• Over 90% of USAID awards cut as Trump cracks down on spending
• Many staff put on leave, not expected to return

US Agency for International Development workers were allowed to briefly reenter the headquarters in Washington on Thursday to collect their personal belongings and clear out their desks, a day after President Donald Trump's administration said it was cutting more than 90% of the agency's aid contracts.

Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid in January to conduct a sweeping review to ensure that all the projects funded with US taxpayer money were aligned with his "America First" policy.

The order, and ensuing stop work orders, threw USAID into turmoil, halting the agency's operations around the world, jeopardizing the delivery of life-saving food and medical aid and throwing global humanitarian relief efforts into chaos.

Trump tasked billionaire and adviser Elon Musk with dismantling USAID as part of an unprecedented push to shrink the federal government over what both say is wasteful spending and abuse of funds.

Thousands of staff were put on leave and contractors terminated, with workers barred from entering the agency's headquarters in downtown Washington. The majority of those put on leave are not expected to be reinstated.

USAID workers left the agency headquarters on Thursday carrying cardboard boxes of personal items to applause and cheers from about 80 people, a mix of fellow workers and members of the public who had come to show their support.

An 8-year-old girl whose father was inside the building clearing out his cubicle after 30 years at USAID, held up a handmade sign that read: "I'm proud of you Daddy."

In her other hand she clutched a US flag. Her mother, standing next to her under an umbrella to shield from a steady drizzle, said she did not want her daughter or family to be identified out of fears of retribution.

Workers were given only 15 minutes to collect their personal belongings, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

"This is callous, disrespectful, and no way to treat hardworking middle-class Americans," the American Federation of Government Employees said in a post on X.

Angela Stephens, 61, who has worked at USAID in its communications department since 2008, said it was an emotional and sad day for the agency's employees.

"There is always change when a new administration comes in. What we didn't expect was the entire dissolution of our agency. I don't know what I'm going to do next," Stephens said.

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A US State Department spokesperson on Wednesday said that USAID evaluated 6,200 multi-year awards and had decided to eliminate nearly 5,800 of them worth $54 billion in value, a 92% reduction. The administration also cut nearly 30% of the State Department foreign aid-related grants totaling $4.4 billion.

The spokesperson said the Trump administration moved to "rapidly complete" the review after a federal judge intervened and ordered the administration to release frozen funds to foreign aid contractors and grant recipients. That order was paused by US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts late on Wednesday.

Pete Marocco, who is currently acting as deputy administrator of USAID and director of foreign assistance at the State Department, said in a court filing that making the payments by the original court-imposed deadline would have been extremely difficult. He added that payments for "legitimate expenses" incurred prior to January 24 would be made.

Despite the wide-ranging cuts, the State Department spokesperson said that critical awards including food assistance, life-saving medical treatments for HIV, and other critical support remained.

However, several of the largest US-funded HIV/AIDS programs in South Africa were told that their funding would not resume, while a global non-profit that works on malaria and maternal and newborn health had the majority of its contracts canceled. UNAIDS, the United Nations agency tackling HIV and AIDS, had its contract with USAID canceled.

Going forward, the State Department and USAID will overhaul the way the US allocates foreign assistance in consultation with Congress, the State Department spokesperson said.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats said in a statement that it was clear the review was not "a serious effort or attempt at reform," calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to appear before the committee. They said the move creates "a power vacuum for our adversaries like China and Russia to fill."