Staff Reports
The Trump administration is boldly stepping on the gas pedal of federal slashing by taking a chainsaw to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), sending most of its staff packing and kicking at least 1,600 U.S.-based employees to the curb in a grand Friday performance. This is all part of a concerted effort to trim the fat from the bloated bureaucratic monster that has been swaying to the tune of aid and development for over sixty years.
In a spectacle of governance that would make a magician proud, President Trump and his cost-reduction wizard, Elon Musk, have launched a grand plan to eliminate the entire agency. A federal judge recently approved this controversial undertaking, allowing the Trump administration to wave goodbye to thousands of USAID employees around the globe. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols decided to be the wind at the administration’s back by giving the green light, striking down the concerns of disheartened employees who had hoped for a temporary halt to the axe wielding.
🚨 HOLY SHT
Look at the USAID web page
They're letting everyone know that basically all personnel are being placed on leave
It is being SHUTTERED. pic.twitter.com/WhfElhR6mn
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 6, 2025
According to the Trump administration, as of the stroke of midnight on February 23, 2025, nearly all direct-hire personnel at USAID will find themselves on administrative leave, except for a select group of those deemed “mission-critical.” Those not on leave, according to the bureaucracy’s logic, will help flight staff and families around the world—because who doesn’t need a few overhead compartments filled with taxpayers’ luggage?
As part of this grand dumpster fire of federal excess, USAID is also kicking off a reduction in force, which translates to a chilling loss of approximately 2,000 jobs back on U.S. soil. It’s like a game of musical chairs, except the music just cut out, and a thousand employees are left standing awkwardly with their pink slips. The latest news from the agency’s website indicates that 1,600 jobs are officially on the chopping block. Who knew that world-saving bureaucracies could fall like dominoes in one fell swoop?
Things are getting spicy on the legal front, as government unions and USAID contractors assemble their legal teams in hopes of securing some semblance of job security. They argue that the administration is playing a dangerous game by attempting to dismantle an agency that has congressional backing, with the stakes of national security and economic stability hanging in the balance. It’s a classic showdown reminiscent of a Western film, where the outlaws (government agencies) are no longer looking for gold but are instead marching directly to the judgment of Congress.
And just to add a sprinkle of chaos to the mix, countless USAID contractors received vague termination letters void of any specifics. Imagine getting a form letter that might as well have said, “Thanks for your service—good luck figuring out unemployment benefits!” These nameless letters might as well be designed by some disgruntled intern who peaked at his job too soon, making it tougher for those booted from their positions to navigate the stormy seas of filing for unemployment. Just another day in the wonderfully efficient world of government downsizing brought to you by the Trump administration’s bold approach to slashing the bureaucratic behemoth.
