FLASH
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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) informed its entire foreign workforce today that they will be laid off by mid-August, according to an internal email seen by CNN.
The move comes as the Trump administration moves to completely abolish the independent humanitarian agency and transfer some of its work to the State Department.
Foreign service nationals - non-U.S. citizen employees working in U.S. diplomatic missions for USAID - make up more than 40% of USAID's workforce.
They are critical to the job, officials say, because they speak the local language, have contacts in the local community and offer continuity. Unlike diplomats, who transfer to a new country after a few years, foreign service nationals serve in these positions for long periods of time, and some have been employed in the U.S. for decades.
One source noted that sudden layoffs could violate local labor laws in some countries, so it could lead to more lawsuits or costs.
Some have expressed concern that the layoffs could put foreign service nationals at risk in countries where it is dangerous to be associated with the US government.
“It’s a waste of talent. And it’s especially insulting to those in dangerous countries who have been stuck working with us and left with nothing, not even a SIV,” said a USAID official. A SIV, or special immigrant visa, allows relocation to the U.S. for people who have worked for the U.S. government.
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