Trump relieves USAID heads for defying EOs = FAFO

President Donald Trump has placed about 60 senior bureaucrats at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on indefinite administrative leave for actions that deliberately circumvented his executive orders.

According to a memo from acting USAID administrator Jason Gray, “We have identified several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the president’s executive orders and the mandate from the American people.”

Gray added that those responsible have been placed on administrative leave — with full pay and benefits — while a thorough investigation of their actions is conducted.

This shake-up follows an executive order from President Trump last week, along with instructions from the State Department. These directives told USAID to stop giving out new foreign aid money, stop accepting new funding requests, and tell their project partners to pause work. Only a few things were allowed to continue, which means most of what USAID does is on hold right now.

It seems some people in the agency thought they knew better than the president and went against his order.

This move has basically stopped a lot of USAID's $22.6 billion in program support. That means many of the projects USAID usually handles around the world are now paused because some officials decided to challenge the rules.

The order was emailed to senior leaders in USAID right before the end of the workday on Monday, and it went into effect immediately, according to sources at USAID. This comes as both USAID and the State Department have been told to stop many humanitarian and related programs worldwide.

This action seems to impact almost all the top career staff in leadership roles at USAID in Washington, about 60 people.

Without these leaders, many USAID offices are now without senior non-political leadership. For instance, all the leaders of the global health bureau were put on leave, according to some officials.

“This is a huge morale hit,” said a former senior Trump administration official who was also told about the move. “This is the leadership of the agency. This is like taking out all the generals. I don’t know what they hope to accomplish by it.”

A spokesperson for USAID did not immediately respond when asked for a comment.

As Colombian President Gustavo Petro has discovered, the new Trump administration means business. Trump has learned from his first term and isn't tolerating disobedience in his second.

Anti-Trump folks in the deep state should learn: there's a new sheriff in town.

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