The message was clear in a staff meeting organized by the Bureau for Global Health at the United States Agency for International Development: Stop bombarding us with emails. We don't have many answers.
This comes amid a chaotic week at the American foreign aid agency after the Trump administration put an abrupt halt to USAID’s global programming on Jan. 24, resulting in widespread layoffs, unpaid furloughs, and staff being placed on administrative leave.
In the wake of this move, USAID staff members and their partner organizations have been left with little clarity on what happens to their staff members and left to wonder what expenses will be covered as exemptions — with the Trump administration providing little guidance.
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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.
