Protesters are gathering against Trump’s Stop order for USAID – public radio in South Carolina

Protesters – led by MPs by Democrats and Non -Profan workers – demonstrated in Washington, Colombia County, on Wednesday in response to the Trump administration’s decision to dispose of almost all employees of the United States Agency for International Development.

This week, the USAID website has announced that all staff will “be placed on administrative leave worldwide”, with the exception of those working on “mission critical features”. This directive comes after technology billionaire and special civil servant Elon Musk said he was in the process of “excluding USAID” with the support of President Donald Trump.

“USA is a worm ball,” said Musk, Dodge leader, said on Monday. “No apple. And when there is no apple, you just have to get rid of all the work.”

Current USAID employee – who speaks to the NPR provided for anonymity for fear of dismissal – present at the rally and said they were locked from their work email, telephones and time card software. The employee was not sure if USAID workers would be paid while on administrative leave, as the time card system is how they receive a payment. The next day of payment is next week.

The USAID employee is also worried about the work that has stopped around the world.

“We are not in the fight against Ebola,” they said. “It’s just a matter of time to get Ebola out of Uganda because USAID is not there.”

During the rally, those who gathered in the park of the Upper Senate along the Constitution and the Avenue of Delaware – chanted “Elon Musk had to go” and held signs that said “USAID saves life!”

Ben de la Cruz / NPR

/ /

NPR

Lenore Flower from Greenbelt, MD., Said her friends were directly affected by USAID prison and that they were afraid.

“I am here to support the many, many people who are in a position where they cannot overlap because their work is in danger and all they can do is behave in their positions,” said Flower. “And now our democracy is in crisis. I am here to fight as well as possible.”

The assistant family also attended, such as Linda McCoy of Washington, Colombia County

“We have a daughter -in -law who lives in Nairobi, does a good job of hunger, but she is waiting for the plug to be pulled into her work every minute because she works very closely with the USAID people.”

McCoy and others from the rally said that the Democrats were not doing enough to oppose Musk and Trump.

“The breaks don’t seem to behave,” she said. “And the courts take too much time and do not rule out the Senate. Democrats do not rule out the Senate they have to do.”

At the rally, democratic MPs criticize the Trump administration.

Ben de la Cruz / NPR

/ /

NPR

“No one is more happier that the United States is withdrawing from their global leadership role than the China Communist Party,” said Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, Vice -President of the Senate Senior Intelligence Committee. “I want to be clear: Trump’s latest attempt to freeze US-funded foreign assistance and punish the men and women who work at the agency is a gift for our opponents who will make us less safe.”

Before he was nominated and confirmed as Secretary of State, then Saint. Marco Rubio heads the Senate Intelligence Committee.

On Monday, Rubio told reporters that he is the USAID director, and there are things that USAID does, “which we must continue to do and we will continue to do. But everything they do must be in accordance with the national interest of both the power supply and the national interest and the national interest and the foreign policy of the United States. ”

Ben de la Cruz / NPR

/ /

NPR

At the end of Wednesday, five former USAID administrators issued a joint statement, calling on the Congress and the Trump administration to “quickly defend the agency’s legal role”, noting that they “served various presidents and voted for various political parties.” The statement was signed by J. Brian Atwood, Peter MacPherson, Andrew Natzois, Samantha Power and Gail Smith.

USAID was established in 1961 when Congress adopted the Foreign Aid Act, and President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order. In 1998, the Congress made the agency independent by law.

In 2023, USAID managed more than $ 40 billion in federal costs for the help of humanitarian and development in more than 100 countries.

Copyright 2025 NPR