The USAID spokesperson denied this was underway. How Washington handles changes to USAID also has ramifications for other parts of the federal government, which Trump wants to shrink.
WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters ... legal authorities that Trump could use to issue an executive order to end USAID's independence and that he could sign such a directive as soon as Friday night ...
The official was then promptly placed on administrative leave — according to emails obtained by The Washington Post ... employee and labor relations at USAID, referring to the budget-slashing ...
The press office for USAID did not respond to a request for comment. The halt in aid, ordered by Trump in his first week in office, interrupts Washington’s $60 billion annual foreign aid budget ...