DOGE dismantles USAID, giving workers just 15 minutes to vacate their workstations

The Trump administration has dismantled the US Agency for International Development, placing 4,080 staffers on leave and affecting another 1,600 employees through a reduction in force. This move is part of a broader campaign to slash the size of the federal government, with USAID being one of the biggest targets. The actions have left only a small fraction of the agency's employees on the job. The administration claims that USAID's programs are out of line with President Trump's agenda and are wasteful, although no evidence has been provided. The effort to dismantle USAID has not involved Congress, which authorized the agency and provided its funding. A report from the Congressional Research Service stated that congressional authorization is required to abolish or consolidate USAID, but no pushback has been made by the Republican majorities in the House and Senate. The administration is eliminating more than 90% of USAID's foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in US assistance around the world. Fired or placed-on-leave employees were given a brief window to clear out their workspaces, with instructions to turn in all USAID-issued assets and not to bring weapons. Many USAID workers saw the administration's terms for retrieving their belongings as insulting, with each worker being given just 15 minutes at their former workstation. The administration's efforts to slash the federal government are embroiled in various lawsuits, with a federal judge ordering the release of billions of dollars in US foreign aid, although the Supreme Court temporarily blocked this order.