Today, over ten thousand U.S. government workers, a majority of which are stationed around the world, were put on administrative leave by the Trump administration and ordered to immediately fly home to the U.S. They received no other information.
These were employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which delivers life-saving humanitarian and development aid to millions of people in more than 100 countries — and at only a small fraction of under 1% of the U.S. government’s budget.
USAID provides critical things like school supplies, diapers, clean water, and toilets to some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
Now, the unelected and unaccountable Elon Musk and the Trump administration are moving to dismantle it.
Shutting down USAID is not only harmful — it is illegal: the independent agency cannot be dismantled without Congressional action.
USAID not only provides direct aid to some of the most vulnerable communities around the world — it also improves global health, advances food security, and protects human rights:
In Lebanon, USAID was providing health and education services… In Yemen, it was funding human rights organizations documenting human rights abuses…In Syria, it was supporting the documentation of atrocities committed by the Assad government…and in Ukraine, it was funding life saving humanitarian assistance and healthcare.
The ripple effect of how many people around the world will be harmed by this is nearly incomprehensible.
Right now, I’m hearing from recipients of USAID funding that they are fearful of facing consequences or retribution if they speak up about the impacts of their work stoppage…
But here at Amnesty International USA, we don’t accept any U.S. government funding.
We’re not afraid to go up against Elon Musk or the Trump administration when they try to violate human rights and put millions of vulnerable people at risk.
Congress should not be afraid, either. It can’t let laws it has passed or its funding authority be thwarted.
