Washington D.C., USA – Thousands of employees at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were placed on leave from Friday night, the agency announced in a statement on its website.

According to the announcement, all "direct-hire personnel" would be placed on leave at the end of the week, except those on "mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programs."

The move followed a series of budget cuts implemented by President Donald Trump since his return to office last month.

Many experts have argued that shutting down USAID operations could have a profound impact on humanitarian programmes around the world.

USAID, which provides aid to over 100 countries, employs 10,000 people globally, with two-thirds of its workforce stationed overseas, according to the Congressional Research Service.

USAID stated that it would collaborate with the State Department to arrange and pay for the return travel of its personnel posted outside the US within the month.

Employees who are part of the exceptions would be informed by 15:00 EDT (20:00 GMT) on Thursday. A message posted on USAID's website concluded with, "Thank you for your service."

USAID workers in Africa are affected by this decision. The leave applies to all direct-hire personnel globally, except those on mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programs. This means that many USAID employees working on various humanitarian projects, including health programs like HIV.

Legit.ng reported that Elon Musk announced that he had spoken with President Donald Trump, who “agreed” with him that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) should be shut down.

This announcement came just hours after the president criticised the aid agency’s leadership, calling them “a bunch of radical lunatics.”

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Source: Legit.ng