Documents filed in a lawsuit against the Trump administration highlight the risk to the security of service members abroad amid the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The filing included testimonies of a denial of a medical evacuation for a risky pregnancy, unpaid bills for security measures for buildings the U.S. government uses abroad, and failure to provide standard logistical and financial support to American staffers as they evacuated the Democratic Republic of Congo, as the security situation deteriorated, among other examples.
This all comes amid a chaotic order for USAID staff abroad to return home. Earlier this month, the administration told all USAID staff abroad that the Department of State is “preparing a plan” to recall them back to America within 30 days. This was later clarified to indicate that staffers can stay in their foreign posting. However, if they choose to do so, the U.S. government may not cover their return travel expenses. A temporary restraining order that paused this global recall has since been issued.
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
