Chaos at USAID: Senior Leaders Sidelined and a Director Fights Back

In a surprising move, almost 60 senior leaders at USAID were temporarily taken off the job. This decision was reversed later in the day by a senior career civil servant. This employee, who was in charge of employee and labor relations, wrote to the affected employees. He told them he had no evidence of any wrongdoing. He also admitted he could not guarantee how long his decision would last. The reason behind this sudden change was not immediately clear. Meanwhile, USAID is in a tough spot. The State Department announced a near total freeze on U. S. foreign aid. This freeze is in line with the executive order from President Donald Trump. The situation has led to major changes at USAID. Hundreds of contractors were fired, and more were sent home without pay. This action has left many wondering what will happen next. The same day, Nick Gottlieb, USAID's director of employee and labor relations, was also put on administrative leave. This happened after he refused to send out termination notices to employees without following proper procedures. Gottlieb believed in giving employees their due process. This commitment got him in trouble. Gottlieb left a farewell message to all USAID employees. He expressed his sadness. He also asked anyone still working at the agency to be kind to his staff, as they would be short-handed. The State Department issued a waiver to the freeze on U. S. foreign aid. This waiver includes all life-saving assistance. However, the exemptions have not slowed the cuts to the USAID workforce. Secretary of State Marco Rubio talked about the current situation. He called it the "foreign aid industrial complex. " He believes the U. S. needs to prioritize spending. He wants to make sure the money is spent on things that really matter. A former USAID official spoke up. Jeremy Konyndyk warned that the damage caused by these cuts could be hard to fix. He said it will take a long time to rebuild the system that has been developed over 50 years. The situation at USAID is far from over. The freeze on foreign aid and the changes at USAID are causing a lot of uncertainty. The impact on the agency's workforce and its ability to carry out its mission is still unknown.