Nearly all USAID staff to be laid off: US media
The Trump administration plans to reduce the number of staff at the US government’s giant humanitarian agency USAID to fewer than 300 people from more than 10,000, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
The staff who remain include employees who specialise in health and humanitarian help, the Times said, citing three people with knowledge of the plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Two unions representing USAID staff filed a lawsuit on Thursday over the cuts against Trump and his administration, seeking an injunction to stop the firing and furloughing of employees and dismantling of the agency, the Times said.
The suit argues that the agency cannot be unwound without the prior approval of Congress.
The State Department did not respond immediately to a request for comment from Agence France-Presse.
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USAID officials have also been told that about 800 awards and contracts administered through the agency were being cancelled, the report said.