The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is set to undergo a drastic workforce reduction, shrinking from more than 5,000 foreign service officers, civil servants, and personal service contractors to just 290 employees, according to two sources familiar with the plan.
Approximately 3,000 institutional support contractors have already been fired or furloughed, while the status of around 5,000 foreign service nationals serving globally remains uncertain.
The bureaus of Humanitarian Assistance, Global Health, and Management are expected to retain the most staff. However, under the proposed restructuring, only 12 employees would be assigned to cover the entire continent of Africa, and just eight would oversee all of Asia. Europe, which previously had about 600 staff across field offices and Washington, D.C., will now be supported by only 10 employees.
Thousands of USAID employees were informed this week via a notice on USAID.gov that they would be placed on administrative leave starting at 11:59 p.m. Friday. Those stationed overseas have been given 30 days to return to the United States.
When asked about additional guidance for employees facing uncertainty, Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed concerns, stating the moves were not intended to be “disruptive.”
“We’re not trying to disrupt people’s personal lives,” Rubio said Thursday during a media appearance in Santo Domingo alongside Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader. “We’re not being punitive, but this is the only way we’ve been able to get cooperation from USAID.” He added that exceptions would be considered for employees with extraordinary circumstances.
Legal Challenges and Opposition
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), which represents 1,800 foreign service officers at USAID, and the American Federation of Government Employees filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Trump administration, arguing that the agency’s dismantling has triggered a global humanitarian crisis by abruptly halting critical aid work.
“None of the administration’s actions to dismantle USAID were authorized by Congress, which is the only entity legally allowed to do so,” the lawsuit states.
The AFSA also condemned the administration’s decision to recall foreign service personnel, calling it punitive and harmful to both employees and U.S. foreign policy.
“Beyond damaging U.S. interests abroad, this move will place an enormous financial and logistical burden on the government—costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and overwhelming the personnel system managing the evacuation,” the organization said in a statement.
Broader Government Workforce Cuts
The USAID restructuring is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to significantly reduce the federal workforce. Last week, the administration announced plans to offer buyouts to approximately 2 million federal employees as part of an initiative led by Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency.
However, a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the buyout offer on Thursday, pending a hearing scheduled for Monday.
