USAID employees placed on leave, must return to US

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Employees of the US Agency for International Development are being placed on administrative leave and must return to the United States within 30 days. The order applies to all US AID direct hire personnel, however, there are some exceptions for leadership roles. Taxpayer funding for US AID doubled from the beginning of President Trump’s first term in 2017 to the end of President Biden’s, rising from $20.5 billion in 2017 to $42.4 billion in 2023.  White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt shared with reporters where some of that money has been going, including $1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia workplaces. $70 thousand for a production of a DEI musical in Ireland, $47 thousand for a trans opera in Colombia and $32 thousand for a comic book in Peru. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has been named the agency’s new acting administrator.