USAID personnel placed on administrative leave starting Feb. 7, 2025

Direct-hire personnel of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will be placed on administrative leave globally starting Friday, February 7.

A statement on its website said USAID personnel assigned to mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programs are exempt from administrative leave.

“Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00 pm (EST),” the statement read.

For those deployed outside the US, USAID said it is preparing a plan to arrange and pay for their return to the country within 30 days.

The USAID will also terminate contracts that are not deemed essential.

“The Agency will consider case-by-case exceptions and return travel extensions based on personal or family hardship, mobility or safety concerns, or other reasons," the statement read.

"For example, the Agency will consider exceptions based on the timing of dependents’ school term, personal or familial medical needs, pregnancy, and other reasons. Further guidance on how to request an exception will be forthcoming. Thank you for your service," it added.

Last month, the US State Department issued a “stop-work” order for all existing foreign assistance and paused new aid, following a Trump order to pause and review if aid allocation was aligned with his foreign policy.

The USAID headquarters in Washington was shut on February 4, after billionaire Elon Musk said Trump agreed that the agency — whose programs cover billions of dollars of aid across the globe — should be closed.

Hundreds of USAID programs covering billions of dollars worth of lifesaving aid across the globe came to a grinding halt after Trump on Jan. 20 ordered a freeze of most U.S. foreign aid, saying he wanted to ensure it is aligned with his "America First" policy.

Over the past week, mayhem has prevailed at USAID's offices in DC where dozens of staff have been put on leave while people working for Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) attempted to gain access to USAID documents, triggering a row between his aides and career staff. –NB, GMA Integrated News