Trump Fires 2000 USAID Workers, Puts Thousands Others On Leave

The Donald Trump administration on Sunday said that it is eliminating 2,000 positions at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and placing all but a fraction of other staffers worldwide on leave.

This development comes after a federal judge on Friday allowed the administration to move forward with pulling thousands of USAID staffers off the job in the US and around the world. US District Judge Carl Nichols rejected pleas that came in a lawsuit from employees to keep temporarily blocking the government’s plan.

The notice, which were sent to USAID workers and viewed by The Associated Press, reads “As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday , 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally,” AP reported.