Dozens Of Federal Staffers Placed On Leave For Defying Trump Order: Report
Several senior officials at the U.S. agency responsible for managing foreign aid were placed on administrative leave Monday as part of an investigation into alleged noncompliance with President Donald Trump’s directives.
As reported by Politico, at least 56 officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were put on paid administrative leave with full benefits. Additionally, both a current and a former official informed the Associated Press that several hundred contractors stationed in Washington and other areas were also dismissed.
These developments follow Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s enforcement of Trump’s executive order, which temporarily halted all U.S. foreign aid provided through the State Department and USAID. The 90-day suspension has affected thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development, and security programs worldwide, leading aid organizations to lay off numerous employees due to funding constraints, according to reports.
An internal USAID notice distributed to staffers late Monday, as cited by the AP, stated that new acting administrator Jason Gray had discovered “several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people.”
“As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions,” Gray wrote in the memo.
The notice did not clarify which specific executive orders USAID officials were alleged to have violated, according to the AP. Fox News reported that “Rubio has specifically exempted only emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign assistance.”
Trump has long criticized foreign aid, advocating for a thorough reassessment of U.S. assistance programs to ensure they align with American interests while eliminating those that do not.
Despite these changes, the United States remains the largest provider of foreign aid globally. In the 2023 fiscal year, the U.S. allocated $72 billion in assistance, accounting for 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.
In other administration updates, Trump announced Monday that the United States Army Corps of Engineers would be deployed to North Carolina to assist with repairs to riverbanks and roads damaged by Hurricane Helene.
During his visit to the state on Friday, Trump voiced frustration with the Biden administration’s slow response to the disaster in western North Carolina, stating he did not understand “what took so long” and pledging that his administration would provide “the resources” and support necessary for rebuilding efforts.
“We have a lot of things in mind, and we’re getting the Army Corps of Engineers all set,” Trump said. “You need your riverbanks fixed. You need a lot of roads fixed. And, we’re going to get it done in rapid time, and I’ve asked Susie Wiles and all of my people to start calling up.
“Get the Corps ready, and they’re going to get ready to go. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what took so long for the other administration,” Trump added, per Breitbart News.
According to its official website, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers consists of approximately “37,000 dedicated Civilians and Soldiers delivering engineering services to customers in more than 130 countries worldwide” and works “diligently to strengthen” U.S. security by “building and maintaining America’s infrastructure and providing military facilities where our servicemembers train, work and live.”
The site also states: “Under the National Response Framework (NRF) and authorities of the Stafford Act; USACE works under the direction of FEMA as a member of the federal team to support State and Local governments in responding to major disasters.”
Trump emphasized to local residents during his visit that he was not in office “for the first four months or three months, whatever it may be” and noted that his administration could “only start” as of a few days ago.
“We’re going to get you the resources you need and the support that you deserve. And, we’ll be at your side through every step of the rebuilding and no American is going to be left behind,” Trump said, according to Breitbart.