USAID could slash staff to hundreds after placing most on leave

But US President Donald Trump's plan to dramatically cut back US foreign aid faces a legal challenge.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersUSAID could slash staff to hundreds after placing most on leave1 day agoMax Matza and James FitzGeraldBBC NewsWatch: 'We will fight' - Democrats rally against USAID shake upAmerica's foreign aid agency could see its staff slashed from about 10,000 to fewer than 300 globally as the Trump administration makes major cuts to government spending.

All but a handful of essential staff are already set to be placed on administrative leave at midnight on Friday, including thousands based abroad. An online notice says a plan is being prepared for return travel and the termination of non-essential contractors.

One union representing employees, which is involved in a legal challenge to the plan, told the BBC's US partner CBS News that just 294 staff have been deemed essential.

Trump's cutbacks to USAID - championed by his adviser Elon Musk - have upended the global aid system.

Hundreds of programmes have already been frozen in countries around the world.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y6701gl60o

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