USAID staff will be put on leave starting on Friday

Thousands of employees at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will be placed on leave from Friday night, the agency says.

US Agency for International Development staff around the world will be placed on administrative leave Friday and ordered to return to the US, according to a directive issued Tuesday night.

As of 11:59 p.m. ET Friday, “all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs,” said a statement posted on the USAID website, which is back online after going dark last week.

In a statement on its website on Tuesday, USAID said it would work with the US Department of State to arrange and pay for return travel for its many personnel posted outside the US within the month.

Those employees who are part of the exceptions will be told by 15:00 EDT (20:00 GMT) on Thursday.

The statement concludes with the message: “Thank you for your service.”

The agency, which provides humanitarian aid to more than 100 countries, employs 10,000 people worldwide. Two-thirds of those people work overseas, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Given that some of its staff work in countries where conflict is taking place, it was not immediately clear how they would be withdrawn.

Since returning to the White House last month, Trump and his allies have prioritised slashing government funding – and have applied their focus to USAID.

Earlier this week, Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio, became the acting head of USAID as part of its reported merger into the state department.