Trump administration changes have upended the U.S. agency charged with providing humanitarian aid to countries overseas, with dozens of senior officials put on leave, thousands of contractors laid off,
Approximately 60 senior staff within USAID have been suspended, leaving the agency without clear leadership, five sources familiar with the internal action told CBS News.
The Trump administration paused all foreign aid and urged USAID to follow in step or face disciplinary action for not complying with the freeze.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, provides billions in funding to organizations to combat HIV.
A diplomatic victory against Colombia on Sunday capped the end of a busy week for new Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the subject of immigration.
Officials inside and outside of the US government are grappling with the fallout of the Trump administration’s sudden suspension of almost all foreign aid with some humanitarian officials warning that people will die as a result.
Current and former officials at the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) say staffers were invited to submit requests to exempt certain programmes from the foreign aid freeze, which President Donald Trump imposed on January 20 and the State Department detailed how to execute on January 24.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s orders could force many groups working on global aid to stop their programs. And the White House has approved sending more 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
The State Department paused several millions of dollars for "condoms in Gaza," as reports say the contraceptives were used as bomb-carrying balloons.
The United States, the world's biggest donor, froze virtually all foreign aid on Friday, making exceptions only for emergency food, and military funding for Israel and Egypt.
The Trump administration has suspended all existing foreign aid for 90 days pending review with exceptions for Israel and Egypt, according to a State Department cable leaked on Friday.