USAID staff will be placed on Friday’s leave

Thousands of employees of the United States International Development Agency (USAID) will be put on a Friday night leave, the agency said in a statement on its website.

In the message, USAID said all “direct hiring staff” would be put on leave at the end of this week, with the exception of “mission -critical features, major leadership and specially designated programs”.

This move is the latest in a number of cuts that President Donald Trump has made for government-funded programs after returning to service last month.

Many claim that the choice of exclusion can have a deep impact on humanitarian programs around the world.

USAID has said he will work with the State Department to arrange and pay for a return for his numerous employees published outside the United States within the month.

These employees who are part of the exceptions will be said at 3:00 pm (20:00 GMT) on Thursday.

A statement Posted on the USAID website ends with the message: “Thank you for your service.”

The agency, which provides humanitarian assistance to more than 100 countries, employees of 10,000 people worldwide and two -thirds of these people work abroad, according to the Congress Research Service.

On Tuesday, many USAID officials received an email informing them that they had been put on paid administrative leave.

The email received from the BBC News told employees that they should remain “available” by phone and email during working hours, but are not allowed to enter USAID buildings.

Since returning to the White House last month, Trump and his allies have been prioritized by the decrease in state funding.

As part of this move, The Trump administration has focused its focus on USAID.

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio became a USAID leader, bringing together one government agency into another.

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of Billionaire Tesla, who has been appointed to manage a new agency to identify cuts in the US government, said the USAID should be closed as it is “out of repair”.

Many have warned that closing USAID doors will have detrimental effects on vulnerable population around the world.

USAID activities range from providing prosthetic limbs to soldiers injured in Ukraine to clearing mines and containing the spread of Ebola in Africa.

Democrats in Washington are particularly critical of this move.

“(USAID is) a bilateral foreign policy tool that is crucial in this dangerous global environment,” New Jersey Senator Andy Kim wrote on social media. “The gutting of it means getting our ability to compete and keep America safe.”

The agency, founded in 1961, has bases in 60 countries and works in dozens of others.

USAID manages more than $ 40 billion (£ 32.25b) in fiscal 2023, according to the Congress Research Service.