In recent weeks, the Trump administration has taken action to defund and shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The USAID is a government agency aimed at foreign humanitarian aid. As a result, many organizations receiving funding through USAID have been forced to lay off workers, leaving many Americans unemployed or questioning the future of their employment status.
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order freezing US foreign aid for 90 days for review. This sparked debate surrounding whether Trump had the authority to make this move. Congress created USAID as a catalyst for the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and therefore it seems plausible that a congressional sanction would be necessary for the abolition or amendment of the agency. Regardless of legal ambiguity, Trump was able to execute this freeze.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed this order further through a new policy that placed over 13,000 USAID workers on leave. Only about 300 workers were spared from the impacts of this policy. Employees at many organizations that receive funding through USAID received orders to stop work around February 11. The Trump administration’s brainchild Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has also fired USAID security personnel and officials. This freeze and these job cuts have led to chaos in the realm of foreign aid. The US is the world’s largest aid donor, and US funding is crucial in many underdeveloped countries. America provides polio vaccines, mosquito netting to prevent malaria, emergency aid to countries experiencing famine, and many other necessary services. Freezing USAID suspends access to many of these resources.
In addition, the agency employs over 10,000 people. Not only did the job cuts leave many wondering after their next paycheck, the suddenness of the freeze has brought an err of uncertainty to the stability of employment at USAID organizations and government-funded programs in general.
On February 13, a federal judge blocked the freeze. However, the impact of job cuts and temporary lack of foreign aid funding still lingers, creating uncertainty as to what the Trump Administration will do next.
As of March 24, 2025, the federal judge's order has still been upheld. The Trump administration is expected to challenge the judge's argument in court.