The US is retaining only 294 of the more than 10,000 USAID employees worldwide.

(CLO) The Trump administration plans to reduce the number of employees at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to fewer than 300 out of more than 10,000 employees worldwide .

Specifically, only 294 USAID staff will continue to work, including 12 people in the Africa office and 8 people in the Asia office.

USAID provides humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, health assistance and food security in more than 100 countries. Photo: US Embassy New Zealand

“It’s unbelievable!” former USAID head J. Brian Atwood said in a statement. He said the massive cuts would be like killing an agency that has helped tens of millions of people around the world. “Many people would not survive if USAID were to be reduced in this way,” Atwood said.

USAID is one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid organizations, with more than 10,000 employees, about two-thirds of whom work outside the United States, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The agency coordinates a budget of nearly $43 billion a year, providing humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, health assistance, and food security in more than 100 countries.

According to sources, some USAID employees have already begun receiving termination notices. USAID's official website states that, effective midnight February 7, "all directly employed USAID personnel globally will be temporarily suspended, with the exception of those in critical roles, key leadership, and special programs."

The Trump administration has targeted USAID as it rolls out a plan to restructure the government. One of the key figures in this campaign is billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

At a press conference on February 4, when asked about the possibility of closing USAID, President Trump replied: "It looks like it," and praised Elon Musk for carefully evaluating the organization's operations.

Currently, USAID is directly overseen by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. New USAID Director Pete Marocco announced on February 4 that he plans to close all overseas offices and recall all staff by the end of the week.

The cuts to USAID have raised concerns among international organizations and diplomats. Many countries that receive large amounts of USAID aid, such as Ukraine, Ethiopia, Yemen, Somalia, Jordan and Afghanistan, could face serious humanitarian crises if the funding were suddenly reduced.

Humanitarian organizations such as Oxfam and the Red Cross also spoke out against the decision, saying it could exacerbate global health, food and natural disaster crises.

Cao Phong (according to Reuters, BI, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/my-chi-giu-lai-294-trong-so-hon-10000-nhan-vien-usaid-tren-toan-cau-post333398.html