The United States Agency for International Development has been ordered to shut down by Friday amid Elon Musk’s efforts to dismantle it.
The State Department is now working diligently to recall thousands of staff members across the world, two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
The employees were told by Peter Marocco, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, that all USAID staff members and their families should be recalled back to the United States by Friday – though that deadline could be delayed.
USAID employees in many bureaus at the agency’s headquarters in Washington DC also received a memo that they are being placed on administrative leave, according to PBS NewsHour correspondent Lisa Desjardins.
The move comes as President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to merge USAID – Washington’s primary humanitarian agency that distributes billions of dollars worth of aid abroad – with the State Department.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.