USAID and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
USAID staffers were also told Monday to stay out of the agency’s headquarters in Washington, according to a notice, which said the decision was made by agency leadership.
USAID’s website
went offline over the weekend and hundreds of contractors have been laid off in recent days, a person familiar with the agency’s developments told The Epoch Times.
New leadership at USAID had previously
placed some officials at the agency on leave because they allegedly tried to figure out how to circumvent Trump’s orders, according to a memorandum.
President John F. Kennedy, in an executive order in 1961, established USAID as an independent agency to provide foreign assistance. Its available budget has ballooned to north of
$50 billion in recent years. It had over 10,000 workers, in addition to contractors, as of fiscal year 2023. The workers are stationed across dozens of countries around the world.
Trump signed an executive order within hours of being sworn in as president on Jan. 20 freezing foreign aid to allow for an analysis to see if existing commitments align with his agenda. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since outlined some exceptions,
including for life-saving assistance.
Rubio, in his first public comments on the matter, said on Thursday that USAID’s programs were being reviewed to eliminate any that are not in the U.S. national interest, but he said nothing about eliminating it as an agency.
Democrats have said they oppose dissolving USAID.
Shutting down the agency would be “illegal and against our national interests,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
wrote on X.
Jacob Burg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
