The U.S. Agency for International Development announced Tuesday night that almost all direct hires around the world will be placed on administrative leave this week.
The move was announced on the organization’s website after days of attacks by the Trump administration, including President Donald Trump himself.
The announcement says that beginning at 11:59 p.m. Friday, “all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.”
Those expected to keep working will be notified by 3 p.m. Thursday, the announcement said, adding that the government is working on a plan to return workers who are not in the country back to the United States if contracts are “not determined to be essential.”
It ends with: “Thank you for your service.”
People protest outside the USAID headquarters in Washington on Monday.Mandel Ngan / AFP – Getty Images
USAID “direct hires” are civil and foreign service workers, according to the Congressional Research Service, known as CRS. There are other mechanisms by which people work with USAID.
The number of workers affected by Tuesday night’s notice is in the thousands.
USAID’s workforce totals more than 10,000 direct hires and a