
KEY POINTS
- 'All USAID direct hire personnel' in the global scale except those in critical and leadership roles placed on administrative leave
- Initial reports said the Trump admin announced a 2,000-personnel mass firing, but the USAID website posted a notice that said 1,6000 staffers will be affected
- Some X users believe the aid agency was unfairly targeted by the DOGE due to its 'misalignment' with the Trump government's 'America First' agenda
- Others questioned the USAID's role in sending American taxpayers' money to the rest of the world when the U.S. has its own issues to prioritize
President Donald Trump has fired 1,600 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and placed thousands of others on administrative leave, marking a significant step in the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) efforts toward dramatically slashing the federal workforce.