A USAID worker who managed to survive widespread cuts by DOGE has described the horror watching their coworkers being fired.
President Trump has gone scorched-earth against the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) this week, claiming it is ‘corrupt’.
In the midst of extensive layoffs at the organization, an employee recounted to NPR how, during a virtual staff meeting, individuals began exiting one by one as their access was revoked.
Describing the situation, the employee remarked, “It felt like a scene from a horror movie,” following the directive that placed at least 8,000 staff members and contractors on indefinite leave or furlough.
Expressing dismay, another USAID staff member told the media outlet, “There seems to be no limit to this absurdity.” Another individual chimed in, suggesting that the government “might as well close it all down, as 290 individuals won’t be able to contribute anymore.”
The Trump administration had originally planned to keep 297 staff but that number has now risen to 611 according to a notice issued late on Thursday night.
On Friday, one worker could be seen crying as crews used duct tape to block out the agency name on a sign outside of its headquarters, as they also tore down large lettering over the entranceway.
Trump wrote earlier on his Truth Social: ‘USAID is driving the radical left crazy, and there is nothing they can do about it because the way in which the money has been spent, so much of it fraudulently, is totally unexplainable. The corruption is at levels rarely seen before close it down!’
The department was the first target of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which is gutting spending and the federal government workface.
Kristina Dryer (L), a two-year employee for USAID, wipes away tears after a worker removed the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07
A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC.
On Friday, workers could be seen crying as crews used duct tape to block out the agency name on a sign outside of its headquarters
The department was the first target of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which is gutting spending and the federal government workface
The DOGE social media account celebrated the event, sharing images of the building with the letters removed. ‘Unburdened by what has been,’ the message read.
Musk has called the agency a ‘criminal organization’ and criticized its spending on foreign aid.
‘Your tax dollars should be spent on America or the government should just tax you less,’ he wrote on X on Tuesday.
The remaining USAID staff includes employees who specialize in health and humanitarian assistance, the New York Times reported.
When the original 300 number was floated, staff at the agency had pushed to keep more people on board, citing critical lifesaving humanitarian work.
Senior staff submitted a list of around 600 people to State Department leadership, calling their work essential and saying it could not be disrupted.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also approved the list of employees who are staying.
But about 800 awards and contracts administered through the agency are being canceled.
The DOGE social media account celebrated the event , sharing images of the building with the letters removed
President Trump has gone scorched-earth against the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) this week, claiming it is ‘corrupt’
Federal workers and supporters hold signs as they demonstrate against Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) outside of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Earlier this week, the administration gave staff overseas 30 days, starting Friday, to return to the US, with the government paying for their travel and moving costs.
Workers who choose to stay longer, unless they received a specific hardship waiver, may have to cover their own expenses.
Two unions representing USAID employees on Thursday filed a lawsuit over the cuts against Trump, Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the agency, the State Department and the Treasury Department.
Robin Thurston, the legal director for Democracy Forward, one of two advocacy organizations that filed the lawsuit said: ‘What we’re seeing is an unlawful seizure of this agency by the Trump administration in a plain violation of basic constitutional principles.’
The lawsuit argues only Congress can dissolve the agency and calls the Trump administration’s actions ‘unconstitutional and illegal.’ Rubio has defended the government’s actions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is defending the administration’s cuts
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk during a political rally
During a joint press conference with the president of the Dominican Republic on Thursday, he said it was the only option.
‘I’d have preferred not to do it this way,’ he noted. ‘When we tried to do it from the top down by getting cooperation from the central office and USAID, what we found instead are people trying to use the system to sneak through payments and push through payments despite the stop order.
‘We found people that were uncooperative in terms of giving us information and access.’
Rubio emphasized that the Trump administration will still be issuing foreign assistance.
‘The United States will be providing foreign aid,’ he said. ‘But it is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest.’
Meanwhile, Trump’s decision to cut the agency’s funding could have consequences at home.
USAID oversees projects such as food aid, disaster relief and health programs in over 100 countries with a budget of around $40 billion.
Much of the aid the agency buys is from American businesses.
In 2020, the agency bought $2.1 billion in food aid from American farmers. Smaller companies with specialties like global health care could go out of business.
