USAID employees placed on leave, 1,600 dismissed in the U.S

The Trump administration has put most USAID employees on leave and removed many others from their jobs.

According to the BBC, as of midnight yesterday, the administration placed 4,200 USAID employees on leave and removed at least 1,600 from their positions.

It's unclear how many of those on leave will be brought back, but USAID had earlier estimated it needed 611 employees.

The administration is trying to cut government spending by reducing the number of federal employees under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk.

A U.S. federal judge had temporarily blocked this plan, but last Friday, the judge said the block wouldn't be permanent.

USAID was founded in 1961, and before these decision, it had about 10,000 employees.