More than 50 career civil servants at USAID are placed on administrative leave
More than 50 civil career servants and foreign service officers at the U.S. Agency for International Development were placed on administrative leave Monday afternoon effective immediately, two former USAID officials, one current agency official and one source directly familiar with the decision told NBC News.
In addition to striking at senior leadership in bureaus across the agency, the action specifically targeted senior attorneys, according to the two former USAID officials and one current official.
USAID employees were informed of the decision late Monday afternoon.
“We have identified several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people,” the email obtained by NBC News from USAID Acting Administrator Jason Gray said. “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.”
USAID did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening.
USAID works to coordinate foreign aid and humanitarian development. Though USAID is an independent federal agency, it collaborates and receives policy guidance from the secretary of state.
The move comes after the Trump administration froze almost all U.S. foreign assistance last week, in compliance with an executive order by President Donald Trump pending a 90-day review.
The order paused new obligations and disbursements of foreign aid pending reviews “for programmatic efficiency and consistency” with U.S. foreign policy.
