Several employees of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were given only 15 minutes to pack up and leave the office following their termination, CNN reported on Friday.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of employees standing outside the office with their belongings after being abruptly dismissed.
“It has been horrible; there was little to no communication with us. We are being treated terribly,” an employee told CNN anonymously.
This follows the massive layoff of staff by USAID amid efforts by President Donald Trump to cut government spending.
Recently, the US government announced a plan to cut foreign aid contracts valued at $5 billion.
“At the conclusion of a process led by USAID leadership, including tranches personally reviewed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, nearly 5,800 awards with $54 billion in value remaining were identified for elimination as part of the America First agenda—a 92 percent reduction,” the US State Department said in a statement.
Recall that since Trump’s inauguration, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has doubled down on its cost-cutting stance.
JUST IN:
USAID accused of funding BoKo haram in Nigeria 🇳🇬 is being shutdown and employees were given 15 minutes to pack their stuffs from the office building pic.twitter.com/QBZDCeuuKW
— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) March 1, 2025