It’s been over a month since U.S. President Donald Trump issued a funding freeze that shook the world. In the time since nearly everything about the aid sector has changed — with the U.S. Agency for International Development slated to lose between 1,600 and 2,000 staff members in late February alone — the remainder of the agency’s 4,765 direct hires have been placed on administrative leave.
As of Feb. 23, nearly 500 more USAID employees under personal service contracts, a different hiring mechanism, had been terminated from the agency, with more than 800 slated to lose their jobs overall. For institutional support contractors, yet another cadre of staff, the number of terminations surpasses 1,100.
And as the world’s largest donor has crumbled, many have followed close behind.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
