U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended dozens of career officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for allegedly attempting to obstruct his executive order on halting foreign aid.
According to reports, at least 57 government employees were placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits on Monday, January 27.
The move comes after Trump’s January 24 directive, which ordered a 90-day freeze on most U.S. foreign assistance, excluding aid to Israel, Egypt, and emergency food assistance programs.
Newly appointed acting USAID Administrator Jason Gray, in an internal email obtained by The Washington Post, stated that some agency actions appeared to be deliberate attempts to bypass the President’s orders. “As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave while we complete our analysis of these actions,” Gray wrote.
The funding halt has already disrupted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development, and security programs worldwide.
Several aid organizations have begun laying off employees due to financial constraints, while efforts to provide emergency relief, such as clean water for displaced people in Sudan and global bird flu monitoring, have been affected.
The suspension of USAID officials, many of whom had served across multiple administrations, signals a deepening standoff between the Trump administration and career civil servants over the President’s “America First” policy.
Officials say the administration has also terminated hundreds of government contractors as part of the broader effort to enforce compliance with the executive order.