USAID overhaul raises concerns amid global aid challenges
On Friday, employees of the USAID aid agency were informed that all positions not directly required by law would be eliminated. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that the layoffs result from a "reorganization."
According to Reuters, USAID (United States Agency for International Development) employees were told that all positions, except those required by law, will be eliminated. This means dismissing nearly all remaining agency staff, whose closure was announced by Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
As noted by Reuters, the decision was announced on the day of a significant earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand. The State Department spokesperson confirmed this information during Friday's briefing but stated that it will not impact the humanitarian aid system used by USAID for areas affected by disasters, such as DART.
Bruce refused to disclose the number of employees being laid off, but she announced that some employees can apply for new positions in the summer when their work formally ends. She stated that this results from a "reorganization" and assured that the State Department is fully committed to continuing "life-saving" aid programs.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also currently acting head of USAID, stated in a communication that the changes aim to "adapt" the agency's activities to the goals of US policy and that the agency has "deviated from its original mission." Musk, whose DOGE team made the initial cuts and layoffs, called the agency a "criminal organization" and accused it, without providing evidence, of embezzlement and fraud.
80% of contracts and grants cancelled
Earlier, Rubio decided to cancel 80% of the contracts and grants issued by USAID. Among them was a grant for Yale University's Conflict Observatory centre for documenting and tracking the mass deportation of Ukrainian children by Russians.
As Tammy Bruce said on Friday, contrary to media reports, the program was not reinstated on Thursday. Still, it was temporarily suspended to allow it to complete its work and submit collected evidence of Russian war crimes to law enforcement agencies.
Despite this, Bruce assured that both Marco Rubio and Donald Trump are deeply concerned about the fate of Ukrainian children and that the president's concern is the best guarantee that the US will remain engaged in the matter. However, she could not specify the American administration's concrete actions.
