A senior U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) official warned that the Trump administration’s dismantling of the agency would cause unnecessary deaths — only to be placed on leave minutes later.
In a memo seen by Reuters, Nicholas Enrich, USAID’s acting assistant administrator for global health, said “political leadership” had made it impossible to deliver lifesaving aid globally. His comments contradicted Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assurances that humanitarian efforts would continue despite President Trump and Elon Musk’s cost-cutting campaign.
Just 20 minutes after sharing the seven-page memo with staff on Sunday, Enrich informed his team he had been placed on administrative leave, effective immediately.
A source told Reuters the decision to suspend Enrich was made days earlier, but the timing of the emails raised concerns.
The Trump administration recently announced the cancellation of nearly 10,000 foreign aid grants, cutting $60 billion and ending 90% of USAID’s global programs. The abrupt closure has thrown humanitarian efforts into disarray.
Enrich estimated that a year-long pause in aid could result in up to 166,000 additional malaria deaths, a 32% rise in tuberculosis cases, and 28,000 cases of emerging infectious diseases like Ebola.
Though Rubio issued a temporary waiver for essential aid, Enrich said political appointees blocked payments by cutting off USAID’s access to its financial systems.
For example, while Ebola response efforts in Uganda were approved, partner organizations couldn’t access funds to act.
Since February 14, Enrich wrote, “zero lifesaving health activities” have been authorized.
Spokespeople for the State Department and DOGE have not responded to requests for comment.
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