USAID shake-up: Trump administration keeps 611 key staff Plans Hit Legal Snag

The Trump administration has decided to retain 611 key staff members at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), according to a notice sent to workers late on February 6.

Initially, the administration had planned to keep fewer than 300 staff at USAID, which has a global workforce of over 10,000, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

USAID, the U.S. government’s primary humanitarian aid agency, has been a significant target of staff reductions under a government overhaul initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk, a close ally of President Trump, since his inauguration on January 20.

The planned staff cuts are set to take effect at midnight on February 7, as indicated in the notice. However, a lawsuit filed on February 6 seeks to reverse the administration’s aggressive restructuring of the agency, which is responsible for distributing humanitarian aid worldwide.

The lawsuit is seeking a temporary and eventually permanent court order to restore USAID's funding, reopen its offices, and block any further actions aimed at dismantling the agency.

This move to reduce USAID’s workforce is part of a broader proposed buyout programme as Trump and Musk push for widespread federal workforce reductions in an unprecedented effort to overhaul the U.S. government. The deadline for the buyout has been extended until at least February 10 due to separate legal proceedings.

By Aghakazim Guliyev