Trump administration to keep 611 USAID essential staff, notice says

President Donald Trump's administration will keep 611 essential workers at USAID, according to a late-night notice sent to employees at the U.S. foreign aid agency Thursday and shared with Reuters by an administration official Friday.

The administration had originally planned to retain fewer than 300 staff members at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which employs more than 10,000 people worldwide, Reuters previously reported, citing four sources familiar with the matter.

USAID faces deep

Since the Republican president returned to office on Jan. 20, Washington’s primary humanitarian aid agency has been a key target in a government reduction effort spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump ally.

The staff cuts will take effect at midnight Friday, according to the notice. However, a lawsuit filed Thursday aims to halt the administration’s aggressive push to dismantle the agency, which provides humanitarian assistance worldwide.

The lawsuit seeks a temporary and eventually permanent order restoring USAID’s funding, reopening its offices, and preventing further orders to dissolve the agency.

The Trump administration’s move to shrink USAID is part of a broader federal buyout initiative. Trump and Musk have been pressuring federal workers to leave their jobs as part of an unprecedented effort to overhaul the government.

That buyout deadline has been extended until at least Monday, pending separate court action.