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Employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development began receiving notices Tuesday that they are being placed on administrative leave, as the Trump administration moves forward with plans to apparently shutter the agency.
USAID headquarters was closed on Monday and Tuesday, and workers were barred from entering the building by federal law enforcement and lost access to their email Monday afternoon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Monday that he is serving as acting administrator of the agency that oversees humanitarian aid and development in more than 120 countries.
A memo obtained by Government Executive—sent from the government email address of Gavin Kliger, one of half a dozen protégés of Elon Musk, but ostensibly authored by USAID Acting Deputy Administrator for Policy and Planning Pete Marocco—informed USAID employees that they are being placed on “excused absence” immediately and indefinitely.
“You will remain on administrative leave until otherwise notified,” the memo states. “While you are on administrative leave with pay, you must be available by telephone and email during normal business hours, as it may be necessary for agency officials to contact you.”
The document instructs impacted employees to send their personal contact info to the agency. And employees could be called upon to return to work, meaning those put on leave must continue to request annual or sick leave during their stint on leave.
“I’m saddened that my service with the agency has to end like this,” said a current USAID employee who received Tuesday’s notice. “For many years, I and many of my colleagues dedicated ourselves to saving lives and have served in complex and difficult contexts overseas. I worry about the millions of people around the world who rely on our assistance. USAID’s work is very critical and impactful, regardless of all the negative narrative that’s emerged in the past few days.”
Several USAID workers reported being in limbo: by Tuesday night, they could not determine whether they had been put on leave, because their email access had already been revoked.
The memo comes amid reports that the agency could put upwards of 14,000 USAID workers on paid administrative leave as the President Trump and Musk look to shutter the agency or fold it into the State Department. Democrats have decried the move as illegal—USAID was established due to an act of Congress—but were barred by Homeland Security Department officials from entering the building after a protest on Monday.
CBS News reported Tuesday that Marocco directed the evacuation and closure of all of USAID’s overseas missions by Friday.
A request for comment from the State Department Tuesday was met with an out-of-office reply. Kliger did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Editor-in-chief Frank Konkel and David DiMolfetta contributed to this report.
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