USAID initiates preemptive administrative leave notices in anticipation of an intended closure
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been thrust into a controversial situation, as President Trump appointed John Barsa as the acting administrator and began placing its employees on administrative leave.
On Monday, the USAID headquarters was closed, and federal law enforcement barred workers from entering the building. A memo, authored by Pete Marocco, instructed employees to go on 'excused absence' immediately and indefinitely. Workers lost access to their email on Monday afternoon, and they were required to be available by telephone and email during normal business hours while on administrative leave.
CBS News reported Tuesday that Marocco directed the evacuation and closure of all of USAID's overseas missions by Friday. This move has been met with criticism from Democrats, who argue that the action is illegal as USAID was established due to an act of Congress.
'Offensive bullshit': Dem lawmakers have called out the Trump administration for the 'illegal' action at USAID. A current USAID employee expressed concern about the impact of the administrative leave on the millions of people who rely on USAID's assistance.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is serving as the acting administrator of USAID, and no immediate response was received from Kliger regarding the situation. A request for comment from the State Department about the situation was met with an out-of-office reply.
Editor-in-chief Frank Konkel and David DiMolfetta contributed to this report. Reports suggest that the agency could put upwards of 14,000 USAID workers on paid administrative leave.
The situation at USAID is developing, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.
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