The Trump administration has flip-flopped on how many staff members will remain at the U.S. Agency for International Development, bumping the workforce from less than 300 to over 600 in less than 24 hours.
That’s according to an internal notice, originally reported by Reuters and confirmed by a former USAID official, who stated that 600 people have been notified they will keep their USAID access past today.
“It just speaks to the incompetence and complete lack of thought behind the takeover of USAID,” said the former USAID official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity at a virtual press conference organized by former and current USAID staff members on Friday morning. “If they knew what they were doing, they wouldn’t have to walk this back and change it.”
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.
