USAID Outcome Unpredictable – Dr. John Osae Kwapong

Dr. John Osae Kwapong a Fellow at the Centre at the Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) believes the decision by the foreign aid workers to sue the Trump administration is in the right direction but the warned, the outcome from the courts cannot be predicted.

 The Trump administration announced that nearly all U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) workers will be withdrawn from the field from February 7, 2025, effectively ending a six-decade mission that has funded education, tackled epidemics and fought global starvation.

A notice posted online detailed the decision, which is the latest in a series of actions that have drastically reduced the agency’s operations. The Associated Press reported that emails were also sent to USAID employees.

USAID, an independent agency established in 1961, has played a role in, providing humanitarian assistance in over 120 countries. The withdrawal will impact millions of dollars in aid project, including security assistance for Ukraine and educational programs for Afghan girls under Taliban rule.

The move follows an earlier freeze on foreign aid Political appointees from Trump’s first term and billionaire Elon Musk’s efficiency teams have labeled many USAID programs as wasteful, leading to widespread layoffs and funding cuts.

What to Know

The directive took effect at midnight on Friday, giving direct hires working overseas 30 days to return home unless deemed essential. Contractors not classified as essential will also be terminated, according to the notice.

The decision to pull back USAID workers was one of several proposals considered to consolidate the agency into the State Department. Other options included shutting down smaller missions and reducing operations at larger ones.

The administration’s is facing legal challenges, as USAID’s status as an independent agency is protected by congressional legislation. Lawmakers from both parties have argued that dismantling the agency without congressional approval may be unlawful taking a decision.

Speaking from his base in the United States of America, Dr. kwapong was of the view that the decision taken by the foreign aid workers to sue the Trump administration is just in the right direction, however the final decision expected to be taken by the courts will be difficult to predict

“It’s a step in the right direction and it’s a question of due process and also trying to figure out whether there is a complete legitimate basis for the actions of the Trump administration so they have every right to seek redress of their grievance in court and its up to the federal court now to determine whether there is a legitimate basis for any of the grievances for which they are seeking redress and will see how the courts end up resolving this issue which is raising quite a bit of concern not only for USAID as an organization but also for other observers who are worried about the implications of this move and for US global influence”.

“According to Dr. John Osae Kwapong, it will be difficult to predict how the federal court would respond especially within the context of the executive power so the question that the court will have to settle with is, “does the president as the head of the executive have a constitutional power to reshape the executive by dismantling certain components of the executive architecture”?. If the court says the president has some power but this is a bit of an overreach, then that becomes the next question that has to be settled , which is what can or can the president not do in a situation like this”.

He further stated that the final ruling by the court will give that indication on not just what will happen to the USAID but some of the other changes to the entire federal administrative stage that the Trump administration is considering.  “I just hope that no matter what happens you don’t completely dismantle USAID but at least if there are certain things you don’t think the US taxpayer should be funding globally, here is a way of retooling and rethinking some of the activities of the USAID. In my opinion I don’t think cutting the entire agency is the appropriate way to go in dealing with whatever concerns the new administration has about the USAID”.