US aid tracker: Following Trump’s cuts to international development

Since being sworn in as United States president on Jan. 20, Donald Trump has left global development professionals scrambling to digest a flurry of decisions that are quickly impacting the sector. He issued unprecedented orders to freeze U.S. foreign aid and slash funding to the United Nations. Since then, USAID has been shuttered, tens of thousands of people have been laid off, and many billions of dollars of awards have been canceled. Here, Devex is tracking the impact on development as the new U.S. administration continues its efforts to realign government policies and priorities with Trump’s “America First” agenda. July 29, 2025 — A judge has ruled against two lawsuits brought by organizations representing former USAID staff and contractors, who had attempted to block mass firings at the agency, ruling that the court lacks jurisdiction over the claims. The Millennium Challenge Corporation, a smaller U.S. agency delivering foreign assistance, has survived a purge which shut down several other agencies, including USAID, but with a reduced number of programs. One agency which expects to see support rise, however, is the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, although its future remains at risk because it needs government reauthorization, and few legislative days remain to deliver it. July 22, 2025 — The United States has withdrawn from UNESCO, the U.N. heritage agency, saying that it is too focused on the SDGs. July 18, 2025 — The United States Congress has approved a $9 billion rescissions package but it has spared HIV funder PEPFAR. July 17, 2025 — Democratic lawmakers continued to grill Republicans over their aid policy. There were questions over who the State Department chose who to fire, and over food aid that was left to expire. July 16, 2025 — Democrats in Congress have been critical of the “transactional” U.S. aid policy. “I don’t want to be China, I don’t want to be Russia," one told his Republican colleagues during a congressional hearing. July 15, 2025 — A new report warns that the retreat of the United States from development under Donald Trump has opened up space for China. July 10, 2025 — Donald Trump has passed a major policy bill which contains a mix of measures which help and harm development organizations — although more of the latter. It includes a tax on remittances, but drops proposals to tax foundations and to make it easier to declare NGOs as terrorist organizations. July 8, 2025 — African leaders have spoken of how they plan to respond to U.S. aid cuts, saying broadly that they are happy to stand on their own two feet, but they will continue to seek international support on issues such as tax and debt. July 4, 2025 — Coming reductions in force at the Department of State have left staff worried about their ability to cope. The cuts are coming at the same point that the department is trying to absorb the additional work of administering U.S. foreign assistance. And job cuts have already hit other parts of the development sector. Vacancies at the United Nations are down 43%, according to Devex research. July 2, 2025 — The merger between USAID and the Department of State could be a “train wreck,” according to experts who spoke to Devex. June 30, 2025 — Humanitarian aid has been left with a huge shortfall after a reduction in funding from the United States, forcing the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to release a reduced, “hyper-prioritized” budget. June 26, 2025 — The United States has pulled out of funding Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. As a result, the alliance ended its latest funding round $2.9 billion short of where it wanted to be. And U.S. lawmakers have questioned a $9.4 billion rescission package which is currently making its way through Congress, but the White House has defended the need for it. Trump’s cuts to aid have not been limited to Democratic programs, or those of previous presidents. He is also undermining his own legacy, Devex reporters found. June 25, 2025 — In a rare piece of good news, the United States brought its flagship early-warning system for famine back online. The system, known as FEWS NET, offers critical data for aid groups. Meanwhile Peter Marocco, seen by many as the architect of USAID’s demise, has resurfaced in a new role at the U.S. African Development Foundation, where he cut around 50 grants. June 18, 2025 — The United States has pulled out of the Financing for Development conference, a major once-in-a-decade event that will have a major impact on the development agenda over the coming years. June 16, 2025 — Agreed food aid cuts, which will cost the U.S. agricultural sector billions, will leave farmers as “roadkill,” one lawmaker has warned. The U.S. has pulled out of the Bonn climate talks, which traditionally act as a halfway point between COPs. And USAID and NGO workers are grieving in the aftermath of the sudden cuts to global development. June 12, 2025 — The United States has proposed hundreds of amendments to the text of the Financing for Development summit in Spain, aimed at reversing previous commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals. Meanwhile, an $8.3 billion package of rescissions cutting previously approved aid has been approved by the House of Representatives. June 10, 2025 — Trump’s nominee to lead the Development Finance Corporation has testified about his priorities for the agency. June 6, 2025 — Congress has begun to engage with the process of State Department reorganization, in a move that has serious ramifications for the future of U.S. foreign assistance. June 5, 2025 — Donald Trump’s full budget request — which follows on from his “skinny budget” last month — contains more than $50 billion of cuts to aid budgets and would put the 2026 aid spend at $28.5 billion. At the same time, the administration has announced plans for a 3.5% tax on remittances sent by non-U.S. citizens — a move which has the potential to seriously affect billions of funding. June 4, 2025 — The Republican administration has sent a request to Congress for $9.4 billion in rescissions that will target “woke” and “wasteful” aid. Tim Meisburger, the controversial head of USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, will depart the agency for a senior job at the Peace Corps — another venerable development organization which is currently under siege from the Department of Government Efficiency. May 30, 2025 — The U.S. State Department has announced plans to cut 3,400 jobs, as part of a drive to focus more on what it calls “American and western values.” The cuts come as part of a wider reorganization. May 26, 2025 — With leadership on aid moving to the U.S. Department of State, it’s worth asking who leaders within the department favor already. An original Devex analysis looks at the State Department’s existing top development partners, most of whom seem to have survived a massive aid cull in relatively good shape. May 23, 2025 — Donald Trump’s tax bill has passed — for now — without a clause dubbed “the nonprofit killer.” But advocates have warned that the clause may not be dead for good. In a rare moment of good news, however, factories producing essential foods to tackle malnutrition have been allowed to reopen after contracts were quietly amended. May 22, 2025 — After defending his record to the Senate, Rubio did so again in the House of Representatives, this time insisting that “no children are dying on my watch,” in the face of accusations that USAID cuts had led to the death of a 5-year-old child. And elsewhere, Devex has broken down how one of the first casualties of the collapse of USAID was support for democracy. Almost every pro-democracy program has been cut, prompting tweets of delight from autocrats. Meanwhile, a new analysis shows that chief of party, or CoP, roles have essentially ceased to be advertised altogether since Donald Trump came to power. Just 23 CoP and deputy CoP roles have been posted on the Devex job board since that point — a 94% decrease on the same period in the previous year. Other people are still hiring, however. More than 20,000 jobs were posted during that period. May 21, 2025 — Marco Rubio, whose many roles include that of USAID administrator, went to the Senate to defend his record. Rubio doubled down on his decisions, saying that he was “very proud” of the changes the administration has made to USAID. May 20, 2025 — Two former USAID administrators, including the most recent leader, Samantha Power, spoke at a leadership summit in Washington to condemn the Republican administration over its treatment of USAID. May 19, 2025 — The U.S. Department of State has advertised a small number of global health positions, provoking an “avalanche of outreach” from laid-off USAID workers. In total, thousands are competing for just 300 roles. A judge has ruled that Trump’s takeover of USIP is unconstitutional and exceeds his authority. Several other cases continue through the courts. May 15, 2025 — A tax bill, which is likely to impact aid spending by philanthropic organizations, has cleared a key committee stage. May 12, 2025 — The United Nations’ secretary-general has outlined what he described as a “painful” survival plan to handle the impact of the U.S. aid cuts. May 9, 2025 — DAI, once the second-largest contractor working with USAID, has lost 88% of its funding in recent cuts, and is facing an uncertain future. May 7, 2025 — The United States government has resumed some payments to partners, but it’s been further delayed by a new “defend the spend” campaign asking organizations to justify their expenditures. In other news of the day, more than 400,000 boxes of emergency food aid are stuck in warehouses in the U.S. due to aid cuts, according to nonprofits. May 6, 2025 — U.N. agency UNAIDS will lose around 50% of its staff in a restructuring caused by U.S. aid cuts, its leaders have said. May 5, 2025 — Devex has mapped out which countries are most at risk to the aid cuts, based on their domestic government spending vs. U.S. aid spending. May 3, 2025 — Trump’s latest budget proposal includes more than $30 billion for aid, but also $20 billion of planned cuts to previous spending, leaving only $9.6 billion available for foreign aid. April 30, 2025 — Campaigners have called for measures to save the Global Fragility Act, an aid measure signed into law by Trump himself during his first term, but which is now under pressure due to his actions. April 29, 2025 — At the end of the historic first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, aid has been utterly transformed. Devex has paused to look back at how it feels — through the eyes of people experiencing it first hand. April 25, 2025 — The World Food Programme is the latest organization to have made staffing cuts due to a lack of funding from the U.S. government. The multilateral expects to cut 30% of jobs. April 24, 2025 — A list of implementers who retain awards from USAID shows that there are 15 organizations with more than $100 million of unobligated funds remaining. April 23, 2025 — The Department of Government Efficiency will target the Millennium Challenge Corporation, according to an email to staff seen by Devex, with most staffers offered a chance to take a buyout. April 22, 2025 — The U.S. government has announced sweeping plans for a reorganization of the State Department — one which leaves development experts concerned about its ability to deliver foreign assistance. April 17 and 18, 2025 — The Trump administration has extended its aid review by another 30 days, despite announcing last month that the review was complete. The administration is also rumored to be making plans to remove the tax-exempt status of organizations and groups that support climate programs, even targeting foundations that give to climate organizations abroad. April 16, 2025 — Jeremy Lewin, a 28-year-old tech entrepreneur and member of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, has been named acting director of the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance. April 15, 2025 — The Trump administration plans to cut State Department funding by nearly half and would reduce foreign assistance funding alone by $21.5 billion, or 56%, according to an internal memo. April 14, 2025 — Peter Marocco, the driving force of USAID’s dismantling, has reportedly left the State Department. April 11, 2025 — The Trump administration has canceled hundreds of awards and terminated dozens of staff at the U.S. African Development Foundation despite a legal battle over whether Peter Marocco, director of the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance, had the legal authority to do so. April 9, 2025 — State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the Trump administration cut some of the lifesaving humanitarian aid programs in error and that they’ve been reinstated, but stood by its decision to cut programming in Afghanistan and Yemen. April 8, 2025 — The United States has made another surprise round of cuts to services it had already decided to spare, in a move which sector leaders said was “a death sentence for millions.” The programs were primarily emergency food aid to Africa and the Middle East. April 7, 2025 – USAID’s Office of Planning, Learning, and Resource Management was the department of the agency worst hit by the cuts, according to a Devex analysis. The office, known as PLR, lost 87% of all funding. April 5, 2025 — USAID staff have been told they may be called back to work to wind the agency down. An email sent last week said that “there is a lot of work to do," to close USAID. April 4, 2025 — There are significant flaws in a spreadsheet giving details on aid cuts in the U.S. Department of State, a Devex analysis has found. More than 100 awards were listed as both active and terminated. March 31, 2025 — A total of 23 nonprofit organizations lost more than $100 million to aid cuts, according to leaked documents shared with Congress. In total, their losses came to more than $6 billion. A number of multilateral organizations also lost substantial amounts. The U.S. has responded to the Myanmar earthquake, but it has been hampered by cuts to aid, experts have said. The Trump administration has “crippled” the response, Devex was told. March 28, 2025 — The Trump administration has revealed its plans to replace USAID in a document shared with the U.S. Congress. The administration proposes keeping some but not all of USAID’s functions and folding them into the State Department. The administration has also sent out an email to USAID employees telling them they will be fired by either July 1 or Sept. 2. But many are then expected to be rehired by the State Department as it restarts the foreign aid process. March 27, 2025 — A leaked document contains what appears to be a confirmed list of USAID programs that have been terminated and retained. The document, which is believed to have been shared with the U.S. Congress earlier in the week, lists 5,314 programs that have been cut and 898 that will continue. While that happens, the lawsuits continue. A Devex explainer summarizes all the ongoing court cases and outlines what could happen next. March 26, 2025 — With the closure of USAID, experts in the sector are now working on the question of what happens next. To some, while the closure of USAID may have been poorly handled, it offers an opportunity to make positive changes to how aid is delivered in the future. But others say that the U.S. has already lost significant trust after stopping and restarting programs. March 21, 2025 — US aid spending may have fallen by less than previously believed, according to research from the Center for Global Development, an aid think tank. The research suggested that only 34% of the dollar value of USAID awards had been terminated. Aid sector professionals have been reacting to leaked plans that suggest how USAID could be reorganized and incorporated into the State Department. While some felt it was well thought through, others were not so sure. Others saw it as just wishful thinking that was never going to happen anyway. March 20, 2025 — Peter Marocco, the architect of USAID’s collapse, has stepped down from his role at the agency. He will be replaced by 27-year-old DOGE staffer Jeremy Lewin, but remain as director of foreign assistance within the State Department. Plans also appear to be under way to reorganize U.S. foreign aid with a narrower focus, according to a leaked memo. The memo sets out an extensive set of plans, building on a briefing earlier in the week by Tim Meisburger, which include replacing USAID with a U.S. Agency for International Humanitarian Assistance within DOS. March 19, 2025 — The Department of Government Efficiency shutdown of USAID was probably unlawful, a judge has ruled. However, so far, the court has only ordered relatively narrow remedies. These stop short of ordering programs restarted or the reinstatement of staff who have been dismissed, but may involve reopening USAID’s offices. The order required DOGE and Musk to restore USAID’s website and other electronic systems within seven days. March 18, 2025 — The Department of Government Efficiency took over the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., after Trump called USIP, the U.S. African Development Foundation, and the Inter-American Foundation “unnecessary” in an executive order on Feb. 19. This is coming after a similar DOGE takeover of USADF on March 6 and the dismantling of IAF on March 7. March 17, 2025 — Lawmakers have been pushing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for answers on USAID, but without much result. A series of letters sent over the past weeks by House and Senate Democrats show how the U.S. Congress has been largely sidelined. March 16, 2025 — The U.S. government has begun to map out ideas for U.S. aid post-USAID. At a closed-door meeting recently, Tim Meisburger, the head of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, shared ideas for a humanitarian agency within the state department. Congress, meanwhile, has rolled over last year’s aid budget, as part of a more general budget rollover, in an effort to keep the lights on while lawmakers debate. But don’t expect that to last. There’s still plenty of time for lawmakers to make cuts. March 14, 2025 — If the closure of USAID leads to the fall of its implementing partners, many of its staff will lose pensions as well as jobs. Several of the largest USAID contractors are wholly owned by employee pension schemes, and those schemes will lose all value if their companies go bust. March 13, 2025 — The knock-on benefits of the fall of USAID are still being felt. Even for agencies in the United States which consciously chose not to take USAID funding, the impact has been severe, as they come to terms with a huge gap in the aid infrastructure. For local organizations elsewhere in the world, USAID’s fall has been extremely bad news. “USAID was the pace-setter on locally led development," one leader said. He described the recent events as “like a big funeral” for local NGOs around the world. March 12, 2025 — The decision to cut USAID funding has put severe pressure on WFP, with the agency now facing the worst funding shortfall in its history, according to a Devex analysis. Food insecurity has doubled since 2019, but WFP funding was not keeping pace, even before the U.S. funding cuts. March 11, 2025 — The president cannot refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress, according to the latest ruling in a court battle over payment to USAID contractors. Congress appropriated $58.3 billion for the fiscal year ending September 2024, and the judge has said that the administration must spend it. USAID staff have been instructed to shred and burn classified documents, according to an email obtained by Devex. Campaigners have filed a motion to stop the process. March 10, 2025 — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that around 1,000 USAID programs will remain, and they will operate under the auspices of the State Department. Another 5,200 programs have been canceled, he said. March 7, 2025 — A judge has ordered that USAID partners must be paid by Monday, March 10. Following a Supreme Court ruling, a judge ruled that plaintiffs who sued for money owed by USAID should receive money for all work completed before Feb. 13. At another U.S. development agency, the Inter-American Foundation, DOGE has taken steps to rapidly gut the organization, with all but one of its grants now canceled. March 6, 2025 — A judge has refused to grant a temporary restraining order protecting personal service contractors — a group of USAID staffers employed on contracts rather than as employees. The group unsuccessfully sought the order after being fired en masse. And after leaving empty-handed yesterday, DOGE has now gained entrance to the U.S. African Development Foundation building. The agency said its leaders did not believe DOGE were authorized to enter but they have now been locked out of internal computer systems. Meanwhile Peter Marocco, acting as USAID deputy administrator, attended a closed-door meeting with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in which he questioned whether foreign aid was constitutional. March 5, 2025 — The Supreme Court has handed USAID’s partners a major victory in their battle to secure billions of dollars in payments. It ruled by a narrow 5-4 majority to hand the decision back to the judge who had previously ordered the government to end the aid freeze, and pay USAID partners billions of dollars owed for work already done. The government, however, argued it has already ended the aid freeze — by terminating thousands of programs. There’s still plenty of confusion, though, after programs that had been terminated were suddenly reinstated. The termination process has involved dizzying confusion for some organizations, which have seen their programs frozen, then granted a waiver, then had that waiver terminated, then told to ignore the termination. And while USAID is effectively gone, other U.S. development agencies are still facing existential threats, including the U.S. African Development Foundation, which has blocked DOGE from entering its offices. March 4, 2025 — The rest of the world cannot be expected to fill the gap left by USAID, international aid experts told Devex. If anything, they said, it is more likely that other powers will cut back too. March 3, 2025 — A USAID official has been dismissed after detailing what he termed the “failure” to give lifesaving aid. Nicholas Enrich, USAID’s acting assistant administrator for global health, said “political leadership” has resulted in deaths. The collapse in U.S. aid could also open the door to China, according to warnings from experts in international diplomacy. The Asian superpower, they said, is already known to be stepping in. Feb. 28, 2025 — In the wake of a decision to suddenly cut 10,000 projects, USAID staffers and implementing partners have been thrown into chaos. The human impact has been immediate, affecting babies needing lifesaving medical care, as well as people needing essential food and drugs. The sign-off to the message — “God bless America” — has not gone down well among those who received it. USAID staffers have been reduced to messaging the recipients of awards to find out which programs have been cut. In many cases, contract officers do not know if their own awards have survived. In the long term, the process will cost more for the American taxpayer, according to Robert Nichols, one of the key lawyers involved in the court battle to get the government to pay up. “I don’t believe they have the right not to pay their bills,” Nichols told Devex Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar in a briefing. Nor is Nichols the only critic. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that U.S. cuts make the world less healthy, safe, and prosperous. Feb. 27, 2025 — A Supreme Court ruling has paused a requirement to reverse the USAID funding freeze. The announcement by Chief Justice John Roberts said that the government was doing what it could in good faith to restart the funding process — something development agencies dispute. Current and former staffers at USAID and the agency’s implementing partners spoke about how they had been affected by the aid freeze, exclusively to Devex, in response to a survey. Almost half of partner organizations said they expected to lose half their staff. Feb. 26, 2025 — Nearly 10,000 awards have been cut from USAID and the State Department, including some that had previously been given waivers, in an apparent effort to thwart a court ruling which said that the aid freeze should be reversed. Only 500 projects will remain at USAID, and 2,700 at State. USAID staff have been given just 15 minutes to collect their belongings from headquarters. An email was sent out with strict instructions, informing staff among other things not to arm themselves with nunchucks. Feb. 25, 2025 — Following reports of furloughs across major aid agencies, Devex has brought all the information together in a single document. Feb. 24, 2025 — A judge has ruled that the government can put USAID staff on leave and recall them from their current placements, saying he no longer feels they are at risk of “irreparable harm.” The government responded by announcing that all USAID direct hire personnel, with a handful of exceptions, “will be placed on administrative leave globally.” As a result, USAID staff have already started receiving termination letters. Feb. 21, 2025 — A judge has extended a restraining order on the government, once again ordering it to restart aid work and pay its bills to USAID contractors. A previous order, made last week, was largely ignored by the State Department, which continued not to make payments and to terminate programs. The judge has not yet, however, held the government in contempt for refusing to comply with the previous order. Feb. 20, 2025 — A fresh lawsuit seeks to reinstate more than 1,000 USAID personal service contractors — individuals who worked at USAID but were not federal employees. A ruling in a previous lawsuit has already said that direct employees cannot be placed on administrative leave, but PSCs have been left in limbo. A filing in a separate lawsuit has documented the chaos inflicted on foreign service officers by a decision to recall them from their postings — a decision currently also on pause after a legal ruling. Currently, USAID is behind on payments and several key systems are down. Staff members have said this means that their safety and security, as well as their financial well-being, have been placed at risk. Feb. 19, 2025 — USAID grants and contracts are still being terminated, despite a court order that temporarily reversed the stop-work order. The same restraining order that says USAID must pay also allows for normal contract clauses to be enforced — and most USAID contracts can be terminated at short or no notice. As a result, nearly 500 awards have been terminated. It’s not at all clear when or if USAID partners will actually see money, despite the order, a senior lawyer working on the lawsuits told Devex Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar in a live event. Robert Nichols said the restraining order was “not nearly as good as we had hoped,” and that the government looked to be gearing up not to pay. At the same time, another group of USAID employees and contractors have launched a separate lawsuit against Elon Musk and DOGE, saying that he does not have the authority to gut the agency as he did. Feb. 18, 2025 — A controversial figure has returned to USAID, and is once again making waves after warning staff that they risk the sack if they speak to the press. Mark Kevin Lloyd was first appointed to the agency in 2020, during the first Trump administration, as USAID religious freedom adviser. At the time, seven Democratic members of Congress wrote to then-USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa denouncing the appointment. They wrote he “demonstrated a historical pattern of prejudice against the Islamic faith and the Muslim population.” Feb. 17, 2025 — The waiver system, which is supposed to ensure that lifesaving aid reaches those who need it, is not working well, according to those within the aid sector. There are three potential problems: either a lifesaving program can’t get a waiver at all, or it has a waiver but it’s not clear what activities are and aren’t covered, or the program has a waiver, but there aren’t any funds to deliver the work. In the last case, this might be because USAID payment systems aren’t working, or because there are no employees left to make payments. Or, more commonly, both. The scale of the potential cuts to lifesaving services is absolute. We’ve now been able to break down both the countries worst hit by the freeze and the sectors which are most vulnerable. In both cases, we found areas that were very highly dependent on USAID, and are now scrambling to cope. Feb. 16, 2025 — Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, has said that the EU and its members face increased pressure to fill critical gaps in democracy and development programs as the U.S. withdraws. But in a speech at the Munich Security Conference, Metsola also tacitly acknowledged that there are disputes within Europe over the right direction for its own aid spending. Feb. 14, 2025 — A judge has reversed the stop-work order issued by the Trump administration, saying that it would cause “irreparable harm.” The pause does not prevent the administration from terminating contracts, and it does not prevent the 90-day freeze on new aid projects ordered on Trump’s first day in office. In a separate suit, another judge ordered an extension of a restraining order that prevented job losses. The order required the Trump administration to reinstate about 2,000 employees who had been placed on leave and prevented it from placing an additional 2,200 on leave. However, the order to reverse the funding freeze did not stop a review of foreign aid programs finally getting underway. Meanwhile, despite the court orders, there were warnings that neither USAID workers nor partners should expect things to immediately start to get better. At a Congressional hearing into the cuts, it was clear that there were divisions both between and within parties over the best way forward for USAID. Feb. 13, 2025 — The process of ending USAID contracts is now underway, with more than 800 termination notices sent out. Many awards were ended with immediate effect — in some cases, in breach of contracts requiring 30 days’ notice. Even for those organizations which have waivers to continue their lifesaving work, there may not be any money available. In Kenya, an internal USAID email said that while a waiver was expected to be in effect, their partner would not be able to resume work, because payment systems were down, and USAID could not send out cash to fund the work. One source that is unlikely to yield funds is philanthropy. Foundations have mostly remained silent on the aid freeze, although a few have spoken out. Even if the sector were to respond by turning on the taps, however, there would not be enough cash to make a significant difference. Feb. 12, 2025 — As USAID contractors continue resorting to furloughs in response to the loss of U.S. aid funding, some are fighting back via a new lawsuit that takes direct aim at the aid freeze. Backed by major for-profit contractors and NGOs, including HIAS, Management Sciences for Health, Chemonics International, and DAI Global, the lawsuit asks the courts to rule the administration’s actions unconstitutional and unlawful and reverse the foreign aid freeze. Devex’s Adva Saldinger details the case and what happens next. One integral aspect of the legal case concerns the Trump administration’s refusal to pay for completed work, which has placed a severe burden on implementers. Devex’s Elissa Miolene details some of the fallout, including layoffs and furloughs for thousands of staff working with USAID’s largest partners. Among the staffing casualties so far, HIAS, a nonprofit focused on refugee resettlement, has laid off 500 of its international staff. Resonance, a Vermont-based contractor, has laid off all but a dozen of its 100-person workforce. 3,000 layoffs at IOM. Devex’s Colum Lynch broke the news that the International Organization for Migration cut 3,000 employees last week who were working on a US resettlement program. “I said during the staff meeting two weeks ago that I would not sugarcoat the difficulties ahead, and those difficulties are apparent this week as we began making cuts in our staffing,” Amy Pope, IOM’s director general, told staff in an internal newsletter last week. This may only be the beginning of staff reductions at IOM, according to Pope. “All of IOM is impacted when Member States make major funding cuts, and that means additional adjustments, in missions and at headquarters — including in the Executive Office — are likely,” she wrote. Feb. 11, 2025 — A new lawsuit pushing back against the U.S. foreign aid funding freeze was filed Monday by a pair of nonprofit organizations that receive funding from USAID and the State Department. The plaintiffs are the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, or AVAC, a New York-based nonprofit that works to end HIV/AIDs, and the Journalism Development Network, or JDN, a Maryland-based nonprofit. The suit seeks to end the enforcement of the executive order that paused foreign aid funding and the stop-work order that discontinued most existing programs. About 40% of AVAC’s budget came from USAID, and the organization has had to lay off seven of its 46-person team. JDN has lost 29%, leading to a 20% reduction in its staff, as well as decreased salaries and hours for its existing workers. Regarding last week’s lawsuit that temporarily prevented 2,200 agency staff from being placed on administrative leave, the next hearing will be held tomorrow. More lawsuits are expected to be filed soon, including one that includes USAID contractors. Tracking staff cuts and impact across USAID partners. Devex Business Editor David Ainsworth pulled together data from various sources to get a sense of the damage that has already been inflicted on development organizations and their staff. A Devex study of USAID’s largest partners found that roughly a fifth of their income has been lost. Some lost more than 80% of their revenue overnight. Another survey of 568 implementing partners by the Global Aid Freeze Tracker found that around half of all respondents had lost half their income. This has led to widespread staff cuts across NGOs dependent on US aid funding, with many more expected. The exact total numbers are unclear for now, but thousands have been laid off or furloughed based on reporting, including at the following organizations: • Chemonics International: More than 600 U.S. workers furloughed. • DAI: Nearly 400 U.S. workers furloughed. • Credence Management Solutions: Nearly 400 workers were laid off. • FHI 360: More than 200 U.S. workers furloughed. Elsewhere, Catholic Relief Services staffers were told last week to expect layoffs among its workforce of around 5,000. The Norwegian Refugee Council also said yesterday that it has been forced to suspend U.S.-funded work in nearly 20 countries and lay off aid workers without specifying how many. The website usaidstopwork.com, which has surveyed 67 organizations so far, estimates more than 50,000 jobs could be lost in the US and 100,000 worldwide. Feb. 10, 2025 — Devex was first to report that USAID's “former” Washington D.C. headquarters building will remain closed, despite the reinstatement of agency staff members over the weekend who were about to be placed on administrative leave. Some staff members who showed up today were denied entry. The Associated Press later reported that USAID had been stripped of the building’s lease, which it was able to confirm with the Trump administration. In happier news, the World Food Programme will be able to resume in-kind food aid purchases and deliveries that it carries out with USAID funding. WFP had previously been hit with stop-work orders despite a waiver issued by the State Department for emergency food assistance. An uproar from several Republican members of Congress from agricultural states soon followed. Feb. 9, 2025 — A USAID team lead has called on staffers to “refuse to comply” with the Trump administration’s stop-work order. Devex was first to report on comments made in a speech to internal staff. “We must refuse to be ordered to throw our oaths of office in the trash by an unelected oligarch or his cronies,” the team lead said during yesterday’s all-hands meeting with staffers, the first since a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking 2,200 employees from being forced to go on administrative leave. Feb. 8, 2025 — After a judge's ruling temporarily blocked USAID from placing 2,200 employees on administrative leave yesterday, these employees were notified today that they had been reinstated until Feb. 14. As a result, these employees will not be evacuated from their host countries and “no additional employees shall be placed on administrative leave” until the 14th, according to the internal email viewed by Devex. “The ruling is a crucial first step in halting a reckless assault on USAID and in supporting the dedicated professionals who serve our country,” Tom Yazdgerdi, the president of the American Foreign Service Association, said in a statement. The union is one of two that sued USAID, the State Department, and U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite the ruling, much remains uncertain about what happens next. According to The New York Times, the case is expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, meaning a final verdict could be many months away. Feb. 7, 2025 — The Trump administration moved ahead with its plan yesterday to dismantle USAID, initially announcing a staff reduction of more than 95%. This would have left around 290 people employed by what is left of the agency. This figure was updated to 600 today. According to the original plans viewed by Devex, 78 staff members would remain in the agency’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, 77 in its Bureau for Global Health, 75 on its management team, 21 focused on the Middle East, 12 assigned to Africa, 10 focused on Europe and Eurasia, eight working on Asia, and eight focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. Whether or not some of these expected layoffs are final could depend on the outcome of a lawsuit filed late Thursday on behalf of the unions representing USAID employees. The lawsuit argued that the Trump administration’s actions to shutter the agency were unconstitutional and sought an injunction to stop the administration’s actions. These actions include placing the agency’s remaining direct-hire staff on administrative leave at 11:59 p.m. ET today. Feb. 6, 2025 — The damaging effects beyond the mere loss of work are emerging in the wake of Tuesday’s order placing the majority of USAID’s staff on administrative leave. Devex’s Sara Jerving reported on the human toll of the agency’s global recall. One worker shared her fears of being able to bring her new baby into the world safely amid the intense stress of being uprooted from her station abroad. “The stress of this entire environment is making that pregnancy complication much worse,” she said. “God forbid this leads to the loss of a pregnancy.” Back in the U.S., backlash against the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID is intensifying, with thousands gathered outside the American Capitol on Wednesday to protest. Democratic lawmakers, USAID staff, and family members of those affected were among those voicing their outrage. “To have that sacrifice, and the decades that he spent overseas serving the American people and just trying to help others, being denigrated by our own government is really just devastating,” said Megan Foley, whose father was a former USAID staffer killed by al-Qaida while on a USAID assignment in Jordan. In terms of concrete actions being taken to fight back against what many deem to be illegal actions to eliminate USAID, congressmembers are pushing five lawsuits forward, including one focused on protecting federal workers like those at USAID. Other lawmakers spoke of putting a “blanket hold” on President Donald Trump’s State Department nominees. Staff cuts expected at DFC, and budget concerns hitting U.N. agencies. Meanwhile, the ripple effects of the U.S. aid freeze continue to hit organizations outside of USAID’s orbit. Devex’s Adva Saldinger was first to report on staff cuts expected to hit the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, or DFC. Staff members were informed yesterday that all probationary employees would be terminated soon and that other staff reductions are likely to follow. Some speculated before Trump’s inauguration that DFC might be one of the few bright spots in the sector during his second term, given its establishment and the immense growth it experienced during his first term. However, DFC officials said the agency was responding to the general guidance on reductions of the federal workforce taking place across various agencies. We’re also learning more about how U.N. agencies might be affected by the aid freeze, thanks to new funding data analysis by Devex’s Colum Lynch and David Ainsworth. A U.N. survey obtained by Devex shows how the order is already impacting the World Food Programme, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and others. So far, 19 U.N. agencies reported having received stop-work letters, while six had not. Another 13 were unable to confirm. Of the entities surveyed, 74% said they expected a moderate or severe impact on their budget. Devex has previously reported on a hiring freeze being enacted at the WHO and unexpected disruptions to UNFPA programs due to U.S. aid being cut off. Feb. 5, 2025 — The Trump administration’s attempt to gut USAID reached a climax last night with the news that nearly all USAID direct hires will be placed on administrative leave on Friday, Feb. 7. There are exceptions for “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programs,” a message posted on the agency’s temporarily revived website stated. Staff members who fit into this category will be notified by Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET. USAID staff members currently posted outside the United States will be pulled from these countries. The Department of State is "currently preparing a plan” for employees’ return trips to the U.S. within 30 days. The State Department will also “provide for the termination” of institutional support contractors and personal service contractors “that are not determined to be essential.” These workers were already notified of their termination, but several told Devex that they received no warning, information, or notice before being locked out of all USAID systems. Staff skeptical of buyout offers Earlier on Tuesday, USAID staff received another email offering government pay and benefits until Sept. 30, 2025, for anyone who voluntarily resigned “without any expectation of performing work.” It has added another layer of confusion and skepticism to what has been a head-spinning two weeks of communications from those who have taken over the agency. “People don’t trust it,” one USAID staff member told Devex. “Everything I’ve read says it’s not legal, and I think that’s giving everyone pause if they were considering it.” Feb. 4, 2025 — USAID missions around the globe are being “urgently” required to tally the number of their U.S. staff, Devex’s Elissa Miolene reported. One USAID staffer called this a “pre-emptive gutting of USAID’s ground presence while defying Congress.” “It’s just crazy that they are operating without sharing any information about what they’re trying to accomplish except from what we see in Elon Musk’s tweets,” one former mission director said. “People are under a siege mentality.” This news came as USAID’s headquarters was shuttered for a second consecutive day. It became a battleground on Monday, with agency staffers clashing with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team, lawmakers being denied entry, and protests materializing outside. Amid the chaos, with the Ronald Reagan Building and the USAID Annex closed, those who are still working for USAID must do so remotely, based on a communication seen by Devex. Hundreds gathered outside USAID headquarters on Feb. 3 to protest the dismantling of the agency, including a dozen Democratic lawmakers who were barred from entering the building and meeting with agency staff members. They were told that it would be “best to contact” the U.S. Department of State instead. The Trump aid freeze is also having more profound and immediate effects on some U.N. agencies than many anticipated. Devex’s Column Lynch reported how the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA, has been caught off guard by its inability to spend money that was already appropriated and in the pipeline. This wasn’t the case during Trump’s first term, as the agency was at the time allowed to spend money that was already appropriated before funding was stopped. Several of the agency’s U.S.-funded projects are now in jeopardy, including a program that employs more than 1,700 female health workers in Afghanistan. Under the current freeze, these workers will have to be let go. Feb. 3, 2025 — All USAID personnel were notified via email Sunday that the agency's headquarters would be closed down on Monday. Devex obtained the message, which stated that those “normally assigned” to work at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C., “will work remotely tomorrow, with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership.” This comes after a weekend of widespread speculation that the Trump administration was moving fast to place USAID under U.S. State Department control, with the agency’s website going offline and its X account removed. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did nothing to suggest otherwise after telling reporters in Panama today: “I am the acting director of USAID but I’ve delegated that authority to someone and I’m in touch with him.” Meanwhile, without notice, at least 1,000 more USAID contract workers have been locked out of the agency’s internal systems. For staff in conflict zones, this means no access to the United States embassy or USAID colleagues and zero guidance for how to get back home. “We were all completely blindsided, including our agency leadership here at the mission who came into my office in tears this morning because they have no idea what’s going on either,” one PSC told Devex this morning from a mission in the Middle East. Feb. 2, 2025 — USAID’s director of security, John Voorhees, was placed on administrative leave. This came after he refused to allow officials from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, access to the agency’s sensitive compartmented information facility. Devex reported that as of Sunday morning, between 40 and 100 staff members of USAID’s legislative and public affairs team have been placed on administrative leave. However, the exact numbers were still unknown. Feb. 1, 2025 — PEPFAR was granted “a limited waiver to implement urgent life-saving HIV treatment services” as part of the broader humanitarian assistance waiver, according to a memo sent to PEPFAR implementing agencies and country coordinators on Saturday. This comes after days of confusion and anxiety about what exactly was covered under the waiver. During the 90-day pause on foreign aid, HIV care and treatment services — “inclusive of HIV testing and counseling, prevention and the treatment of opportunistic infections” including tuberculosis, lab services, procurement, and supply chain for commodities and medicines — can continue, according to the memo, which was obtained by Devex. PEPFAR implementing agencies should continue to pause other activities not covered by the waiver until the Trump administration’s review of all foreign aid or further guidance, the memo said. Jan. 31, 2025 — Significant layoffs may be hitting the U.S. Capitol in the coming days. DT Global’s CEO told staff members that he expects sector-wide job losses of between 2,000 and 3,000 development professionals in Washington, D.C., by next week. “Many of our competitors, most of our competitors — and I know this because I've met with their CEOs individually and collectively to share thoughts and approaches — are literally furloughing (leave without pay), or retrenching, 80%, 85% of their staff,” Torge Gerlach also said to his Asia-Pacific staff on Friday. Meanwhile, USAID staff received some guidance regarding how operating expenses are to be handled during the Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze and stop-work order. The good news is that operating units may fund “on a temporary basis, salaries, benefits and related administrative expenses, including travel for U.S. direct hire employees,” acting administrator Jason Gray communicated via email yesterday. But this attempt at clarity has also raised new questions about whether USAID partners’ expenses are also covered. “Every day there are just more questions than there are answers,” one USAID staffer told Devex. Jan. 30, 2025 — Is PEPFAR covered in the humanitarian aid waiver? Also, what counts as “life-saving humanitarian assistance?” Here’s what we know and don’t know: • Despite some media reports that the waiver seems to allow for PEPFAR to distribute HIV medications, sources tell Devex this hasn’t been confirmed, and PEPFAR itself is unclear on the waiver’s implications. • Emergency humanitarian assistance that is covered can continue throughout the three-month review period and implementers of existing programs should continue or resume work if they have stopped. • The waiver will not apply to activities that involve abortion; family planning conferences; diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; transgender surgeries; or other nonlifesaving assistance. The waiver confusion has been whiplash-inducing for PEPFAR partners. Andrew Kambugu, the head of the Infectious Diseases Institute in Kampala, Uganda, tells Devex contributing reporter Andrew Green that IDI has already pulled employees from districts across Uganda in response to the stop-work order they received on Sunday. He’s received no guidance from USAID or PEPFAR on whether work related to delivering ARVs to those with HIV can resume. Jan. 29, 2025 — USAID has issued a blanket stop-work order to all its implementing partners unless a waiver has been granted, which is a major shift in how they were initially handled. Implementing partners had been notified on a case-by-case basis if they needed to halt their work, and now they are required to pause all USAID-funded activities on their own and report back to the agency. Meanwhile, furloughs are hitting 500 contractors in the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, or BHA. This accounts for up to 40% of the bureau’s workforce. Those affected include those working on risk mitigation, information management, and operations. The furloughed staff members were informed via an email sent by Credence Management Solutions, a company that partners with USAID. “Due to the Stop Work Order, you are not permitted to perform any BHASC [Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance Support Contract] work,” it stated. There was no mention of payment, benefits, or other details. The cuts have also put thousands of jobs at risk at the International Organization for Migration, the Geneva-based U.N. agency. IOM has ordered an immediate freeze to its U.S. resettlement program and is preparing the groundwork for up to 5,000 job cuts. But there has been some good news. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved a waiver for emergency humanitarian aid. It exempts “life-saving humanitarian assistance” programs — although there has been confusion over exactly which programs have been given the green light. Jan. 28, 2025 — Several USAID employees have been placed on administrative leave for allegedly not complying with recent executive orders. These include 60 senior executives, plus select senior foreign service officers, deputy assistant administrators, and eight of the agency’s general counsel. The employees will receive full pay and benefits “until further notice.” Devex also reports that several institutional support contractors have already been, or will be, let go. This would affect more than 50% of the global health bureau’s workforce. Jan. 27, 2025 — Some USAID implementing partners have begun receiving notices to stop work. Dexex obtained copies of two orders sent to organizations based in Africa, which direct the organizations to immediately “stop, cease, and/or suspend any work” performed under the USAID funding agreement. The stop-work orders are creating panic throughout the aid sector. Karl Goodsell, CEO and co-founder of the nonprofit Positive Change for Marine Life, tells Devex that since the order was implemented, he and his team are “very anxious about what the future holds” and are focused on developing worst-case scenario contingency plans. Meanwhile, Devex reports on the fallout from Trump’s reinstatement of the so-called global gag rule. This blocks U.S. federal funding not just to INGOs that provide abortion services but also those that offer information about abortion. Several reproductive health clinics closed under this policy during Trump’s first term. Jan. 26, 2025 — An internal memo obtained by Devex has made clear to USAID staff that its pause on all foreign assistance “means a complete halt” and “every program will be thoroughly scrutinized.” It also clarifies that the only exceptions to the pause are for “emergency humanitarian food assistance and for government officials returning to their duty stations.” Jan. 25, 2025 — USAID staff have received guidance on how to implement Trump’s orders shutting down DEIA programs and pausing foreign aid. An internal memo obtained by Devex details the implications on DEIA work, including: • DEIA employees will be placed on paid administrative leave or reassigned. • DEIA-related training and contracts must cease immediately. • DEIA metrics in performance management guidance will be removed. Regarding the aid freeze, standards for reviewing paused foreign aid programs will be set within 30 days. The memo also makes clear that all new program-funded obligations and sub-obligations are on pause, with the following exceptions: • Funding for emergency food assistance, including administrative expenses and salaries. • Temporarily, salaries and administrative expenses, such as travel for certain positions. • Legitimate prior expenses under existing awards or those tied to stop-work orders. • Other exceptions can be approved by the director of foreign assistance. Jan. 24, 2025 — USAID staff have received some troubling clarity on what the 90-day pause on foreign aid means, receiving a memo detailing a stop-work order for existing grants and contracts and an immediate pause on new foreign aid spending. A memo first obtained by Devex details some exemptions from the aid pause. Employee salaries and most expenses will not be affected, at least for now. Funding for “emergency food assistance” and “foreign military financing for Israel and Egypt” will continue, but not excluded are global health programs such as PEPFAR, the U.S. flagship global HIV program. These new details struck many as more disruptive and extreme than expected. “It effectively halts almost all foreign assistance. And sends USAID into a tailspin along with its partners,” a former senior USAID official tells Devex. Meanwhile, the U.S. decision to exit the WHO has led to a hiring freeze and other cost-cutting measures. Staff received an email from Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who cited the departure as making the agency’s financial situation “more acute.” The email told staff to expect a review of its activities to identify what to prioritize given the “reduced financial envelope” and detailed the following moves to reduce costs: • Recruitment will be frozen “except in the most critical areas.” • Travel expenditure will be “significantly” reduced, with targets established and monitored. • Replacing IT equipment will be limited, and “major contracts” renegotiated. • “Office refurbishments, expansions and related capital investments” will be suspended. Jan. 23, 2025 — USAID has lifted an order preventing any public communication but maintained a ban on discussing four executive orders that relate to USAID, Devex exclusively learned. The four orders are: • A 90-day pause in disbursements of foreign aid. • A federal hiring freeze. • A requirement to end DEIA programs. • A mandate for federal employees to return to the office, as opposed to working remotely. USAID employees have been issued a communication telling them that they must report any efforts to conceal DEIA programs. A memo threatening disciplinary action instructs staff members who are aware of efforts “to obscure the connection between the contract or grant and DEIA or similar ideologies” made since the U.S. election on Nov. 5 to report these to the email address DEIAtruth@opm.gov within 10 days. Development professionals have been left concerned about their future by the rapid changes. Those workers must look at what skills they have and what they can deliver, and focus on building new networks, a career coach advises. Jan. 22, 2025 — USAID partners and staff are still digesting the implications of the 90-day pause on foreign aid, in an effort to understand what it might mean. The Professional Services Council, a trade association that represents U.S. government contractors, says it has asked USAID for clarification and is still waiting for a response, while a current senior USAID official tells Devex that the agency’s lawyers are still reviewing the order to pause funding. Trump’s pick for ambassador to the United Nations identifies a number of agencies likely to be affected by funding cuts. She voices strong support for the World Food Programme and UNICEF, but is critical of UNRWA and UNFPA. Jan. 21, 2025 — The Republican administration under Donald Trump follows up its pause on new foreign assistance with an order to USAID employees not to talk about it. Agency staff tells a partner organization that they have been ordered to pause all public communications. Meanwhile, there are rumors of an expanded role for DFC under the new administration, according to a report from Bloomberg. Jan. 20, 2025 — On the first day of his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has issued several executive orders hitting various development work sectors: • An executive order pauses all foreign development assistance for 90 days, and the new administration will review each program to determine which ones will continue or end. Programs related to issues that don’t align with Trump’s Republican agenda are likely targets, such as family planning and climate change, one expert speculates. • The U.S. will also withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which will take a year to complete, but will mean that the U.S. is no longer bound by promises to tackle climate change. Trump has promised to “drill, baby, drill.” • The U.S. has also withdrawn from the World Health Organization with significant negative impacts. The U.S. currently contributes 15% of all WHO funds. • Another executive order calls an effective halt to all work on diversity, equity, inclusion, and assistance, otherwise known as DEIA. This article will be updated as new information becomes available.