by Ncaba Ntshakala
Media reports in the United States has asserted that dozens of senior staff inside the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID,
have been placed on administrative leave until further notice, and hundreds of contractors have had their employment furloughed or terminated, multiple sources told CBS News.
This followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s order last Friday that placed an immediate halt on virtually all U.S.-funded foreign aid assistance globally.
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CBS News spoke to a dozen current and former USAID staff and contractors who were granted anonymity to speak openly.
An email obtained by CBS News and sent from USAID’s acting administrator Jason Gray to USAID staff Monday stated that “a number of USAID employees” were placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice after “several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people” were identified.
Approximately 60 senior staff within USAID have been suspended including the assistant administrators and deputy assistant administrators heading up most of its bureaus leaving the agency without clear leadership,
five sources familiar with the internal action told CBS News. The majority of those placed on leave were career civil servants and foreign service officers.
They also included USAID attorneys in the Office of the General Counsel, who are responsible for interpreting the executive orders for implementation.
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One source told CBS News the individuals affected were told to “go home and not communicate with anyone” at USAID.
Two sources told CBS News that some of the individuals in question were physically escorted out of the building.