President Donald Trump sits next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
USAID firings are back in the headlines after viral news reports claimed that the Trump administration fired three USAID workers operating in Myanmar while they were assisting with damage from a 7.7 earthquake that hit the nation in March. A senior State Department official told the Washington Reporter that the report was not accurate, as "no one was fired," adding that "our team leads on the ground in Burma have reported back that the response is going well and they are able to execute their assignment."
"Per the notice sent out last week," the official added in comment to the outlet. "All USAID personnel were either given a 1-July or 2-September termination date."
USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN
"There have been no changes to that plan. Any assertion otherwise was likely based on a deliberate leak by someone trying to spread a fake narrative for their own political agenda."
Elon Musk has helped lead DOGE through their audits of federal offices. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
USAID historically has fallen under the State Department's operational umbrella.
The State Department and USAID, however, notified Congress on March 28 that officials intend to reorganize "certain USAID functions to the Department by July 1, 2025." USAID functions that are not absorbed by the State Department will be discontinued.
"USAID and State previously served duplicative functions, with no accountability for the billions of dollars doled out abroad by USAID," an administration official told Fox Digital of the USAID shakeup.
Thousands of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) employees will be terminated by September as the Trump administration restructures the agency to fall in line with the president's "America First" policy. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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The admin official added that USAID’s top priority amid the restricting effort is "the continued safety of all personnel and the orderly repatriation of colleagues posted overseas," and that the administration is working "with overseas personnel to ensure any specific circumstances are considered to ensure a safe and orderly drawdown."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/thousands-usaid-terminations-take-effect-september-agencys-final-leg-drawdown