Dozens of senior employees within the US Agency for International Development, USAID have been put on administrative leave till next notice, and hundreds of contractors have reduced or abolished their employment, several sources told CBS News. After this the state secretary Marco Rubio Last Friday, an order was ordered which had an immediate stop at almost all American-funded foreign aid aid.
CBS News spoke to a dozen current and former USAID employees and contractors, who were given an oblivion to speak openly.
An email and USAID acting administrator Jason Gray from CBS News to USAID Staff was sent on Monday that “USAID employees” was placed on administrative leave with full salary and profit. The President's executive orders and “were designed to ignore the mandate from American people”.
About 60 senior employees within the USAID have been suspended – in which assistant administrators and deputy assistant administrators carry forward their bureau – leaving the agency without clear leadership, five sources familiar with internal action told CBS News. Most of the career on leave were civil servants and Foreign Services Officers. He also included USAID lawyers in the general lawyer's office, which are responsible for explaining executive orders for implementation.
A source told CBS News that the affected persons were said to “go home and not communicate with anyone” at USAID. Two sources told CBS News that some people in question physically exited the building.
CBS News has also learned that several hundred contractors of USAID have been puffed up or closed, according to six sources familiar with the action. Some have been informed that they have been abolished immediately without a breakdown salary and that their benefits will end in just three days in the end of January, while others who have been furlied are told that their The profit will be effective by the end of February.
Rubio's order is part of an attempt to shrink the size of the federal workforce to fulfill the promise of President Trump's campaign by the administration, and Looking for places to cut What does it see as a useless government expenses. Mr. Trump has long said that other nations are not making sufficient contribution to foreign aid, and that America is the brunt of burden. But critics say that such cuts may stand in the world in the world and create an inauguration for China and other opponents that are looking to increase their influence abroad.
In response to Rubio's mandate to prevent federal foreign aid, stop-work orders were issued to companies with USAID and state department on Monday and Tuesday.
Termination letters sent to two contractors received by CBS News read, “This letter is to inform you that on January 28, 2025, it is effective, with your employment [federal contract holder] A contract will be eliminated due to trimming. unfortunately, [federal contract holder] Get a stop work order, and without the right to move forward, we have no work to perform for you. ,
The expiration papers have the language, “We hope that this situation is temporary and you can return to your positions.” However, employees' email accounts with USAID and contracting company were closed, and the termination letters were later sent to their individual emails, sources said.
A source said that USAID employees had scrambled to apply for exemption for programs after sending orders to Rubio.
The source said, “Then he physically escaped from USAID leadership. The process of exemption was a joke.”
Another source in the agency said, “USAID is absolutely well.” “It is surgical to prevent programs. Life is at stake here. We are putting life in danger.”
State Department spokesman Tami Bruce told reporters late on Tuesday that “employees have been given a template for exemption requests”.
Rubio, later on Tuesday, then released a discount for his own foreign aid break. In a second memorandum provided by a senior administration officer to CBS, Rubio said that the exemption applies to “life-saving humanitarian aid”, which he “he applied to” life saving medical, medical services, food, shelter and subsistence forms Defined in, as well as the required supply and proper administrative cost to provide such assistance. ”
Memo also said, “The implementers of the current life-guard humanitarian aid programs should continue or resume work again.”
The new discount “does not apply to activities that include abortion, family planning conference, gender or del ideology program, transgender surgery, or other non-life savings assistance,” according to the memo.
The State Department has not yet provided an explanation whether some US-funded foreign aid programs have now been automatically missed as a result of the new exemption of Rubio, or whether all the programs will still have to apply for discounts. So that American can return to get funding.
It is not immediately clear how this new exemption will affect those whose employment has already ended.
In a copy of the initial order of Rubio received by CBS News last Friday, he asked all American diplomatic and consular positions to issue “stop-work” order “order” for existing foreign aid awards, “Review pending by the Secretary of State.
Rubio also said in his initial order that “exception” for the stagnation approved by the Director of the State Department of the State Department has also been exempted without specifying exceptions. CBS News has learned that former Deputy Assistant Secretary of African Affairs Pete Maroko In the Pentagon, Now serving in a senior direction role within the state department Foreign aid office – Internal is known as 'F' – which oversees foreign aid programs administered by the State Department and USAID.
“I'm very devastated [as] What happened now, “a USAID source said,” We enjoyed the work we did and how it contributed to helping people around the world. Whatever happened was not appropriate at all. This has never happened in any administration change, anytime, “he said, he said that he had respected the change and” was eager to have a relationship with the new administration for better good. ” ,
Two now-Aam USAID contractors expressed deep concern about life-threatening health conditions, due to frequent working journey in a case, and suddenly on Friday themselves without the end of the month without medical insurance looking out for.
Another USAID contractor says, “Our contractors could pay us for two weeks.” This seems to be apocalypse. Every email was felt like a danger starting last week and then he chased through it. “The source said that on Monday and Tuesday,” people were in disorganized and bawalinga … people were nervous. Are. Direct fare is feeling the crime of intensive survivor and do not know what to do. “
As a result of the executive order targeting, many USAID contractors were also abolished last week without being kept on leave or without obtaining dissection. Variety, Equity and Inclusion ProgramIt included individuals who were not DEI advisors, or were not primary job functions related to DEI, but may have contributed to the Biden administration -focused collective work efforts focused on reach and access.
Last Thursday evening, it was written in the ending letters sent to the employees sent to the employees, “Effective immediate, USAID no longer needs services you do on contract. Till date, USAID is abolishing funds for this situation. . “
Many sources also told CBS News that many in Washington, DC-based USAID Annex Office buildings, agencies' programs and pictures of the beneficiaries have been taken away from the walls. A source said that removing the photographs is “not a normal protocol” between the administration.
Another source said, “They are eliminating physically in the building.” “They are eradicating our existence,” a third said.
CBS News
CBS News
Contractor for global health for USAID bureau – HIV/AIDS treatment, departments responsible for projects covering projects covering other infectious diseases – were among those who were among those receiving ending notices. According to two sources, all contractors, around 450 technical experts in the Global Health Bureau were abolished. Those contractors make about 50% of the entire USAID global health staff, leaving only 450 direct fare that is still working in the bureau.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or Peppar – Launched in 2003 by the administration of George W. Bush – is one of the sudden notable government programs Bringing in a stop Since Rubio issued an order, possibly disrupted the provision of anti-viral drugs (ARVs) for millions of HIV and AIDS patients globally. According to the State Department, Pepfar has saved the lives of 26 million people as it started.
While the funding can be returned when the results of the 90-day review can be refunded, there is also an increasing concern among the advocates that the support of the Congress for Pepfar is in crisis due to a revelation earlier this month. Groups conducted an abortion, which is a violation. Of American law. Roots It was reported that four nurses had done 21 abortion since 2021 in Mozambic. This revelation may also be part of the review of the upcoming state department.
Currently globally 20.6 million people are on life-saving drugs due to pepper, a source told CBS News, so freeze in American aid funding “Hundreds of thousands of deaths, especially for women and children, base But it can be, “The era.”
“This is a crime against humanity,” the source said.
“It is an unprecedented, threat to our national security, makes America less safe, and feels [to be] Bypassing the Authority of the Congress, “a former USAID employee said.
“For me, this is an unrelated hostile acquisition of our democracy,” said another source affected by the federal aid freeze. “USAID is just the first casualties. But more adjacent. Whatever the objectives feel, with the intention of increasing the power.”
Contributed to this report.