Nearly eight months after the first round of USAID officials were terminated as part of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the agency, the most fortunate among them — those who were eligible for retirement benefits at the time they were pushed out — have yet to receive their first pension check.
Some are struggling to get by.
“After the career that I've had, how hard I’ve worked and the sacrifices I've made, to find myself without any income, without being able to pay for the upfront medical costs for my kids, and not knowing if I'm going to be able to pay my rent next month — I just never thought I'd be in this situation,” said Blake Chrystal, a former USAID foreign service officer who was forced into retirement in July after nearly 20 years at the agency.