Just after 6 p.m. EST on Monday, the Trump administration placed a number of senior career officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on leave for allegedly not abiding by President Trump's executive order to freeze much of U.S. foreign aid.
NPR obtained a copy of a message sent to all USAID staff by acting administrator Jason Gray: "We have identified several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President's Executive Order and the mandate from the American people. As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions."
The memo did not say how many people were placed on leave.
An agency staff member spoke about the memo to NPR on the condition of anonymity because of fears of retribution. "It's shocking," the individual said. "To my knowledge the stop-work order has been closely followed"
The staff member added that such an action by a new administration is unheard of.
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