USAID workers put on leave as Trump officials investigate resistance to aid pause

Dozens of senior officials in the U.S. agency that administers foreign aid were reportedly placed on leave Monday amid an investigation into alleged resistance to President Donald Trump’s orders.

At least 56 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) officials were placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits, Politico first reported. Several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere were also laid off, a current and a former official told the Associated Press. 

These actions come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting on Trump’s executive order, paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID. The 90-day pause has halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide and forced aid organizations to lay off hundreds of employees because they can’t make payroll.

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USAID humanitarian aid destined for Venezuela is displayed for the media at a warehouse next to the Tienditas International Bridge on the outskirts of Cucuta, Colombia, Feb. 19, 2019.  (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

According to the Associated Press, an internal USAID notice sent late Monday said new acting administrator Jason Gray had identified “several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people.”

“As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions,” Gray wrote.

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President Trump signed dozens of executive orders upon taking office, including a 90-day pause on all U.S. foreign aid. Here, he is pictured signing pardons for all Jan. 6 rioters.   (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

The notice did not say which of the dozens of executive orders Trump has signed since taking office the USAID officials were accused of violating, according to the AP.

The White House and USAID did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has paused most foreign aid through the State Department in compliance with Trump’s order.  (Oliver Contreras/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Those placed on leave were career officials who had served in multiple administrations, including Trump’s, the former USAID official told the AP.

Before those officials were removed from the job Monday, they were scrambling to help U.S.-funded aid organizations cope with the new funding freeze and seek waivers to continue life-saving activities, from getting clean water to war-displaced people in Sudan to continuing to monitor for bird flu globally, the former official said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has specifically exempted only emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign assistance.

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Trump has criticized foreign aid and called for a review of U.S. aid programs to determine which put American interests first and which should be eliminated. 

The U.S. is the largest donor of aid globally. During fiscal year 2023, the U.S. dispersed $72 billion in assistance. It also provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.