USAID Closure Imminent?

February 4, 2025

(3 Minutes Read)

USAID staffers say that approximately 600 employees were locked out of the agency’s computer systems overnight. Those still able to access the system received emails stating that the headquarters building would be closed to agency personnel on Monday, Feb. 3

For quite some time, USAID, the external development agency, has been in the vanguard of promoting welfare and development programs outside the US. During the Trump 2 Administration, many feel that it may be wound up, though a clear signal has yet to come out.

A report from the US indicates that staffers at the U.S. Agency for International Development have been instructed to stay out of the agency’s Washington headquarters. Incidentally, billionaire Elon Musk announced that Donald Trump had agreed to shut the agency down. Staffers say that a notice has been distributed to them to this effect.

Musk, Trump, and some Republican lawmakers have increasingly targeted the U.S. aid and development agency, which oversees humanitarian, development, and security programs that operate in over 120 countries. They have accused it of promoting liberal causes.

Democratic lawmakers have protested these developments, arguing that Trump lacks the constitutional authority to shut down USAID without congressional approval. USAID has a crucial role in delivering global humanitarian aid, supporting economic development, and fostering peace and security in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

Many countries are anxiously awaiting the US Administration’s final decision on USAID since there are several humanitarian programs running across the world and hundreds of staff are deployed in these countries.