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State Dept orders shutdown of USAID overseas missions, recalls staff, sources say
A woman holds a placard outside, as the USAID building sits closed to employees after a memo was issued advising agency personnel to work remotely, in Washington, D.C., on February 3, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
What you need to know:
- State Department officials on Tuesday were told by Peter Marocco, a Trump appointee who was on Monday tasked with overseeing the agency's operations, that all USAID staff and their families should be recalled by Friday, one of the sources said.
- A second person said the deadline could be delayed.
The US State Department has ordered the shutdown of overseas missions of US Agency for International Development and is working to recall thousands of staff worldwide, two sources familiar with the discussions said on Tuesday.
The move comes as the administration of President Donald Trump is moving to merge USAID, Washington's primary humanitarian agency that distributes billions of dollars worth of aid abroad, with the State Department and effectively dismantle the agency as an independent entity.
