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Officials for the agency were notified of the planned cuts on the same day they learned that about 800 awards and contracts administered through U.S.A.I.D. were being canceled, three people said.
- Feb. 6, 2025Updated 9:55 p.m. ET
The Trump administration plans to reduce the number of workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development from more than 10,000 to about 290 positions, three people with knowledge of the plans said on Thursday.
The small remaining staff includes employees who specialize in health and humanitarian assistance, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to publicly discuss the cuts.
A spokeswoman for the State Department, whose umbrella the remnants of the agency have moved under, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Officials at U.S.A.I.D. are pushing for less severe cuts, and they submitted significantly longer lists to the State Department of personnel they deemed essential to carry out lifesaving and other critical programs, according to two people with knowledge of their efforts.
U.S.A.I.D. officials were also told on Thursday that about 800 awards and contracts administered through the agency were being canceled, the three people said.
The moves also came just one day before almost all of the agency’s direct hires, including its roster of Foreign Service officers, will be put on indefinite administrative leave. In addition, almost all contractors will see their work orders terminated. Foreign Service officers will have 30 days to return to the United States.
