Trump administration fires 2,000 USAID workers, puts thousand others on leave
Washington (AP): The Trump administration said that it was placing all but a fraction of staffers at the US Agency for International Development on leave worldwide and eliminating 2,000 US-based staff positions.
The move was the latest and one of the biggest steps yet toward what President Donald Trump and cost-cutting ally Elon Musk say is their goal of gutting the six-decade-old aid and development agency in a broader campaign to slash the size of the federal government.
The move comes after a federal judge on Friday allowed the administration to move forward with its plan to pull thousands of USAID staffers off the job in the United States and around the world. US District Judge Carl Nichols rejected pleas in a lawsuit from employees to keep temporarily blocking the government's plan.
"As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally," according to the notices sent to USAID workers that were viewed by The Associated Press.
At the same time, the agency said it was beginning a reduction in force that would eliminate 2,000 US-based staffers. That means many of the Washington-based staffers who are being placed on leave would soon have their positions eliminated.
The Trump appointee running USAID, deputy administrator Pete Marocco, has indicated he plans to keep about 600 mostly US-based staffers on the job in the meantime, in part to arrange travel for USAID staffers and families abroad.
USAID and the State Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The move escalates a month-long push to dismantle the agency, which has included closing its headquarters in Washington and shutting down thousands of aid and development programs worldwide following an effort to freeze all foreign assistance. Trump and Musk contend that USAID's work is wasteful and furthers a liberal agenda.
Lawsuits by government workers' unions, USAID contractors and others say the administration lacks the constitutional authority to eliminate an independent agency or congressionally funded programs without lawmakers' approval.
The Trump administration efforts upend decades of US policy that aid and development work overseas serves national security by stabilising regions and economies and building alliances.
The notices of firings and leaves come on top of hundreds of USAID contractors receiving no-name form letters of termination in the past week, according to copies that AP viewed.
The blanket nature of the notification letters to USAID contractors, excluding the names or positions of those receiving them, could make it difficult for the dismissed workers to get unemployment benefits, workers noted.
A different judge in a second lawsuit tied to USAID has temporarily blocked the foreign funding freeze and said this past week that the administration had kept withholding the aid despite his court order and must at least temporarily restore the funding to programmes worldwide.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
3 killed in landslide during road widening at Hulikal ghats in K'taka, CM announces ex-gratia
Shivamogga (Karnataka) (PTI): Three labourers were killed and four others injured after a landslide struck a road construction site at Hulikal Ghat in this district, police said on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as Raghavendra (37), Raju (30), and Shabbir (40), all engaged in wall construction work at the site, they said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the families of the deceased.
The incident occurred late Thursday afternoon at a hairpin bend in Hulikal Ghat in Hosanagara taluk, they said.
According to officials, a massive landslide of soil and rocks from the hillside buried the workers.
A total of seven workers were caught in the landslip. Three labourers died on the spot after being trapped under the debris.
Rescue teams managed to pull out four injured workers and shift them to hospitals in nearby areas, including Kundapura and Udupi, for treatment, they said.
The mishap took place during ongoing efforts to build a retaining wall aimed at ensuring the safety of vehicles navigating the ghat section, which is known for its steep curves and landslide-prone terrain.
An SDRF team from Mangaluru reached the place early Friday morning and took up relief work.
Police, fire and emergency personnel rushed to the spot soon after the incident and launched rescue operations.
Authorities said the sudden collapse of loose soil and rocks from the upper slope is suspected to have triggered the landslip.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to ascertain whether adequate safety measures were in place at the worksite.
Taking to 'X', CM Siddaramaiah said that regarding the incident, I have spoken with District In-charge Minister Madhu Bangarappa and obtained information.
"I am deeply saddened to hear the news that three workers lost their lives when soil collapsed during the construction of a road barrier at a bend in Hulikal Ghat, in Hosanagara taluk of Shivamogga district. I pray that the souls of the deceased unfortunate workers attain eternal peace, and that their family members find the strength to bear this sorrow," he said.
These breadwinning lives, which were the support of their families, have been lost in this tragedy, and on humanitarian grounds, a compensation of Rs five lakh each will be provided to the families of the deceased workers, the chief minister added.
