An official at the federal foreign aid agency targeted by the Trump administration with layoffs, cuts and funding obstacles was placed on leave Sunday after saying those moves will lead to “preventable death” and threats to U.S. security.
In a memo to staff, including those placed on leave or laid off, Nick Enrich said the U.S. Agency for International Development has not implemented “lifesaving humanitarian assistance” under a temporary waiver to the pause on foreign aid issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale,” Enrich wrote in the memo obtained by NBC News.
Rubio has vowed to establish waivers for vital USAID programs that will be exempted from the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts and stop-work orders, but Enrich alleged significant damage is being done in the present — without intervention.
Enrich, who sent the memo Friday in his his capacity as acting assistant administrator for USAID Global Health, placed the blame on “political leadership at USAID, the Department of State, and DOGE, who have created and continue to create intentional and/or unintentional obstacles that have wholly prevented implementation.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night.
One problem, Enrich said, is that guidance regarding approval for life-saving activities has been “contradictory.” Even once those activities have been approved, Enrich added, USAID leadership has failed to process the disbursement of funds.
To date, Enrich said, USAID’s Bureau for Global Health has identified 72 activities across 31 funding awards that entail “Lifesaving Humanitarian Assistance,” none of which have been approved by the agency for payments to be released.
“All or nearly all of the awards needed to implement lifesaving humanitarian assistance were terminated on or before Feb 27th,” Enrich said in the memo. “The number of deaths attributable to the loss of USAID funding and support is not known at this time.”
On Sunday, Enrich was placed on administrative leave, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. NBC News obtained Enrich’s farewell email to colleagues.
“Working with this incredible group of experts and professionals to improve global health was the most rewarding thing I have ever had the chance to do,” he wrote.
The Trump administration’s cancellation of $60 billion in funding for USAID had begun to unravel significant programs and caused profound harm to many of the world’s most vulnerable people, humanitarian officials said last week.
On Wednesday, the White House unveiled plans to cut the vast majority of contracts held by USAID.
USAID workers said last week that Trump administration cuts are already having an impact globally, affecting biosecurity, food supplies for famine-stricken countries and vaccines for viruses such as polio, mpox and Ebola.
The agency’s mission, according to its site, is to “save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.”
Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, tasked with leading the Department of Government Efficiency, have made cuts to USAID a top priority, arguing that it wastes taxpayer dollars and has forwarded a liberal agenda around the world.
