USAID sign removed from Washington headquarters as thousands of staff put on leave
Trump administration reportedly seeks to dismantle agency
WASHINGTON
Crews on Friday removed the sign from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters in Washington, DC.
"Unburdened by what has been," the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, wrote on X, with photos showing USAID's sign being removed, referring to a remark by former US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
While workers took down the signage on Pennsylvania Avenue, USAID employees and their legal teams gathered at a federal courthouse in Washington, DC to request a temporary restraining order to block a planned administrative leave order, according to NBC.
The leave, set to begin at noon Friday, would affect thousands of USAID staff. The agency’s headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building has been closed since Monday due to a freeze on foreign assistance. The agency administers civilian foreign aid and development assistance.
According to CNN, citing sources at USAID, the Trump administration plans to keep fewer than 300 employees at the agency, significantly cutting its workforce.
