Scoop: USAID closes headquarters Monday amid Trump transition chaos

The United States Agency for International Development sent out an email to all personnel telling them the agency's headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C., will be closed on Monday. “Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remotely tomorrow, with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership,” read the email, which was seen by Devex. This move comes amid widespread speculation that the Trump administration is quickly planning to move USAID under U.S. State Department control. Over the weekend, the agency’s website went offline, and its X account was removed. It follows a flurry of activity since Trump’s inauguration two weeks ago. On his first day in office, he ordered a pause in disbursements of foreign aid for 90 days, which was followed by the State Department issuing a stop-work order for existing grants and contracts, as it reviews programming to ensure foreign assistance is aligned with Trump’s “America First” foreign policy agenda. This has led to widespread furloughs, contract terminations, and agency staff placed on administrative leave. On Sunday, billionaire Elon Musk, who leads Trump’s efforts to shrink the government under the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, said it’s time for USAID “to die,” that it’s a “criminal organization,” and that the government is working to shut it down. Top USAID security officials were put on administrative leave over the weekend after refusing to give DOGE representatives access to internal systems and employees of the agency’s headquarters have been told to attend a Tuesday staff meeting where it’s expected there will be a significant staff reduction, reported the New York Times. In fiscal year 2023, USAID’s budget was over $40 billion, with a workforce of more than 10,000 — with about two-thirds working overseas. The agency works with more than 4,000 organizations in over 100 countries.