Mass Layoffs at USAID: A Farewell with Scathing Messages
On Friday, hundreds of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) staffers bid farewell to their Washington, D.C., offices, leaving behind boxes adorned with pointed messages that seemed to be directed at President Donald Trump, who has initiated mass layoffs at the agency.
Over the past weeks, thousands of staffers have been notified of their pending dismissals. A federal judge cleared the way for the Trump administration to proceed with these layoffs, aiming to eliminate waste within the federal bureaucracy.
As they left, staffers carried boxes scrawled with messages that expressed their sentiments towards the administration’s actions. One box bore the words, "We are abandoning the world," conveyed by a grinning employee as she exited the Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs office. Another staffer’s box, bearing a more optimistic tone, read, "You can take the humanitarians out of USAID but you can’t take the humanity out of the humanitarians."
Outside the offices, a small group of well-wishers and former USAID workers gathered to offer support. Signs read, "We love USAID" and "Thank you for your service, USAID." Some departing employees were seen leaving in tears.
The Trump administration plans to significantly downsize the agency, leaving fewer than 300 staffers on the job out of the current 8,000 direct hires and contractors. This reduction would also impact an unknown number of 5,000 locally hired international staffers abroad.
USAID has been criticized by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for perceived wasteful spending. Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman, publicized a list of projects and programs allegedly funded by USAID, including $20 million for a Sesame Street show in Iraq. Other questionable expenditures included $900,000 to a Gaza-based charity accused of supporting terrorism and $1.5 million for a program aiming to promote diversity and inclusion in Serbia.
President Trump has imposed a 90-day pause on foreign aid and appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting director of USAID.
Government employee unions attempted to halt the mass layoffs through a lawsuit. However, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols lifted a temporary restraining order and declined to issue a longer-term order to keep the employees in their positions.
Nichols, who was appointed by President Trump, reasoned that the affected employees had not exhausted their administrative dispute options and that the court lacked jurisdiction to consider their broader arguments that the administration was violating the U.S. Constitution by shutting down an agency established by Congress.
The unions may now seek emergency relief from the Washington, D.C., federal appeals court to reinstate the restraining order or obtain a preliminary injunction.
The mass layoffs at USAID have been met with widespread criticism, with many expressing concern about the impact on vulnerable populations and the agency’s ability to fulfill its mission of providing humanitarian assistance and promoting development worldwide. The scathing messages left by departing staffers reflect their dismay and frustration over the administration’s actions.
