Marking one year since the Trump administration dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development and terminated thousands of dedicated federal workers, many of those former employees gathered with allies outside the agency headquarters in Washington to celebrate the agency’s legacy and renew their commitment to America’s foreign assistance mission.
One of President Trump’s first orders after being sworn into office Jan. 20, 2025, was to immediately freeze all foreign development assistance programs. Four days later, the State Department suspended nearly all existing foreign aid programs and paused any future aid. The administration then moved quickly to cancel thousands of foreign aid contracts and terminate nearly all of the agency’s 16,000 employees, most of whom worked overseas.
Now one year after being fired and escorted from their offices with just 15 minutes notice, many of those USAID workers gathered with Foreign Service colleagues, contractors, partners, and other foreign aid supporters to celebrate the agency’s legacy and renew their commitment to serving each other, the American people, and the world.
The Feb. 27 gathering was organized by AFGE Local 1534, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the USAID Alumni Association, OneAID, Aid on the Hill, and Our USAID Community. Joining the terminated federal employees and foreign service officers were grantees, implementing partners, and contractors who all worked together to carry out the agency’s foreign assistance mission.
“What unites us and why we’re here together is because we all believed in service. We still believe in service – service to our country and service to those in need,” said Austan Mogharabi, who is the USAID representative on the AFSA Governing Board. “Our ability to continue that service was demeaned and then taken away when U.S. aid was illegally dismantled.”
Nevertheless, former employees and foreign aid advocates say they are undeterred and will continue to speak out on the strategic importance of USAID’s mission to the United States and the world.
“Together, we as Americans can overcome anything that challenges us. We have the power,” AFGE Local 1534 President Mike Henning told the crowd. “This administration doesn’t want you to feel powerful. They don’t want you to have agency to take collective action. Our unified efforts are the greatest threat that they face in their goal to continue abusing power.”
One of the most consequential actions workers can take to demonstrate their solidarity is joining a labor union, Henning said.
“If you don’t have a union where you work, start one. If you don’t like the way your union is working on your behalf, change it. You still have agency. You can make change.”
AFGE and AFSA sued the Trump administration on Feb. 6, 2025, for illegally shutting down USAID. In July, a U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia judge ruled that the court did not have jurisdiction to hear the claims. We have appealed that decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which has scheduled an April 23 hearing on the appeal.
About 90 percent of Homeland Security’s 260,000 employees are working without pay due to the ongoing shutdown, including employees at the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Read More
AFGE and its National Veterans Affairs Council are calling on a federal court to force the Department of Veterans Affairs to comply with a judge’s order restoring AFGE’s master collective bargaining agreement with the VA and all subsidiary agreements.
Read More
AFGE has developed detailed issue papers identifying our key legislative priorities this year.
Read More
