HANOI – Vietnam acknowledges and expresses gratitude for the contributions of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as the agency prepares for administrative leave affecting most of its direct-hire personnel.
In a statement posted on its website—following a temporary outage over the weekend—USAID announced that staff leave will commence shortly before midnight on February 7. The decision affects all USAID direct-hire personnel, except those responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programs. The agency expressed appreciation for its employees, stating, “Thank you for your service.”
The move aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s broader efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, a policy shift that has sparked debate in Washington and protests from Democrats and human rights organizations.
As a key arm of U.S. foreign policy, USAID has long played a critical role in funding health and emergency programs in approximately 120 countries, including some of the world’s most vulnerable regions. The agency has been a major player in international development and a significant instrument of U.S. soft power, particularly in geopolitical competition with countries like China.
Musk, a close Trump ally and major government contractor, has publicly criticized USAID, calling it a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists”, and has pledged to dismantle the agency. He has also alleged—without substantiation—that USAID has engaged in covert CIA operations and even funded bioweapon research related to Covid-19, claims that have drawn widespread scrutiny.
The restructuring of USAID comes amid long-standing conservative concerns about U.S. foreign aid spending, with critics arguing that taxpayer dollars should prioritize domestic needs rather than assistance to foreign nations.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the top three recipients of USAID funding in 2023 were Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Jordan, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Syria. The U.S. government reported that Ukraine alone received more than $16 billion in macroeconomic support amid the ongoing conflict.
With a budget exceeding $40 billion, USAID represents a small fraction of the $7 trillion in total U.S. government spending. However, the United States remains the world’s largest provider of official development assistance, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
As USAID undergoes significant changes, Vietnam extends its appreciation for the agency’s longstanding support in various development initiatives and humanitarian programs.
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Source: Vietnam Insider