In recent days, the Trump administration has dismissed hundreds of employees from the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.), undermining the agency’s capacity to respond to global humanitarian crises. This wave of firings, primarily affecting the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, raises concerns about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s commitment to humanitarian aid, especially after a freeze on foreign aid was announced. Many experienced contractors, some with years in conflict zones, are affected. With U.S.A.I.D.’s operations severely diminished and uncertainty surrounding future aid provisions, critics fear permanent cuts and potential dismantling of the agency.
Appointees from the Trump administration overseeing the main U.S. aid agency have recently terminated hundreds of employees involved in managing urgent humanitarian crisis responses globally, as reported by two U.S. officials and four recent agency employees.
These dismissals further fuel concerns about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s commitment to enabling employees at the United States Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.) to deliver critical humanitarian assistance, a promise he made last month amidst a comprehensive freeze on nearly all foreign aid from the U.S. government.
Under Trump’s appointees, thousands of U.S.A.I.D. employees have been terminated or placed on paid leave. A task force comprising young engineers associated with Elon Musk, the billionaire tech entrepreneur advising President Trump, has deactivated many technical systems within the aid agency and denied employees access to their email accounts. Mr. Musk has shared unfounded conspiracy theories regarding U.S.A.I.D. on social media, labeling it a “criminal organization” and insisting it was “time for it to die.”
The most recent wave of terminations occurred on Friday night, when hundreds of staff members from the agency’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance received emails indicating their jobs were terminated. Two of those employees noted that the emails were peculiar, lacking specific job titles and the recipients’ names in the “to” field. They were generic messages sent out in bulk.
The New York Times has obtained a copy and confirmed these accounts. Employees who agreed to discuss this situation did so anonymously, fearing they might jeopardize the 15 days of pay they were promised following their termination notice. The two U.S. officials expressed concerns about potential retaliation.
Additionally, 36 individuals were let go from the Office of Transition Initiatives, a branch within the agency’s conflict prevention bureau dedicated to assisting partner nations with political shifts and democratic efforts, as indicated by U.S. officials and recent agency workers.
Approximately 400 employees were dismissed in recent days from humanitarian assistance positions, according to one U.S. official. About 200 of these individuals were contractors working for the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, while another 200 were part of a unit called the Support Relief Group, comprising crisis experts who facilitated fast responses to natural disasters and armed conflicts. Currently, only around a dozen remain in that group.
The terminated employees were contractors directly employed by the U.S. government, some having served U.S.A.I.D. in various roles for as many as 25 years.
Numerous contractors from the Support Relief Group had worked for the agency in war-torn regions, including Ukraine, Syria, and Afghanistan. They often resided in various global locations, spending extended periods in crisis zones. One employee who received the termination email on Friday noted they were scheduled to return home next week from a U.S. diplomatic mission abroad.
Another recently dismissed employee stated that the mass firings meant the aid agency was left with only a skeleton crew to manage humanitarian crises.
Currently overseeing daily operations at U.S.A.I.D. is Pete Marocco, a State Department official appointed to manage foreign aid, who has been a contentious figure in both the agency and other government sectors during Trump’s first term. Earlier this month, Mr. Rubio announced he would be taking charge of the aid agency as acting administrator.
Mr. Rubio has stated that all foreign aid will remain suspended for 90 days while a review is conducted. However, officials and contractors involved in foreign aid anticipate that most assistance will be permanently cut, with many more employees facing terminations, and that any remnants of U.S.A.I.D. will likely be incorporated into the State Department. Although U.S.A.I.D. was established by Congress and funding for foreign aid was allocated this year, few, if any, Republican lawmakers have voiced concerns regarding the aid freeze and subsequent job losses.
Foreign aid constitutes less than 1 percent of the government budget.
At the end of January, Mr. Rubio mentioned that employees could apply for waivers to allow their aid programs, particularly “lifesaving humanitarian assistance,” to continue during the freeze. However, few programs have been granted such waivers. Even those that received waivers faced operational challenges because the U.S.A.I.D. payment system, known as Phoenix, had become inoperative, preventing partner organizations from receiving funds.
The State Department and Laken Rapier, a political appointee at U.S.A.I.D. referred to as a press officer, did not respond to emails seeking comments for this article.