On Friday, February 21, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by Donald Trump during his first term and halted the administration’s action on USAID earlier this month, lifted the temporary restraining order. It enabled and indeed heralded the beginning of mass firings, the recall of overseas workers and the dismantling of the once independent agency.
In our February 6 issue we reported on the experiences of three Greenbelters (names have been changed) at USAID. “David,” a personal services contractor, had been cut off from email and system access; “Stephanie,” a federal employee who had worked at USAID over a decade, was on administrative leave; and “Melissa,” also a federal employee at USAID for over a decade, was anticipating administrative leave. Following the judge’s temporary restraining order, as we reported February 13, David was told he’d regain access but hadn’t, Stephanie had been reinstated and Melissa hadn’t had any interruption in employment.
Last week David received a Termination of Contract email, which he said was a mass email he was blind copied on. The email did not include his name or contract number and his instructions were to sign and return the notice to acknowledge receipt. He’ll be paid through March 6, he said, and hasn’t had access to email or any work-related systems since early February. On Sunday night, Stephanie received a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice about separation in April and is on administrative leave until then. On Monday, Melissa shared that she is now on administrative leave and hasn’t received any other notices.
Meanwhile, USAID workers abroad are being recalled. A Greenbelt family in Asia, who shared their story in the February 13 issue, is still awaiting further instructions. With a child in school they’d hoped to learn more about the exemptions the administration spoke of in early February. “We are still hanging on the cliff here,” said “Julie” on Monday, as they waited to hear about repatriation or even employment status. On Thursday, February 20, U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali reprimanded the Trump administration for continu-ing to freeze funding despite a court order. Julie says that though USAID should pay the contractors’ past invoices, the funding freeze has continued.
