An official of the Federal Foreign Aid directed by the Trump Administration with layoffs, cuts and financing obstacles was licensed on Sunday after saying that these movements will lead to a “preventable death” and threats to the security of the United States.
In a memorandum to the staff, including those placed on license or fired, Nick Enrich said that the United States Agency for International Development has not implemented the “humanitarian assistance that saves lives” under a temporary exemption to the pause on the foreign aid issued by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Without a doubt, this will result in preventable death, destabilization and threats to national security at mass scale,” Enrich wrote in the memorandum obtained by NBC News.
Rubio has promised to establish exemptions for the vital programs of the USAID that will be exempt from the radical cuts and the stop orders of the Trump administration, but enriching significant damage is causing significant damage in the present, without intervention.
Enrich, who sent the memorandum on Friday in his capacity as an interim assistant administrator of USAID Global Health, blamed “political leadership in Usaid, the State Department and Doge, which have created and continue to create intentional and/or involuntary obstacles that have prevented total implementation.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comments on Sunday night.
A problem, said Enrich, is that the orientation regarding the approval of the activities that save life has been “contradictory.” Even once these activities have been approved, Enrich added, USAID leadership has not been able to process the disbursement of the funds.
To date, said Enrich, the USAID Global Health Office has identified 72 activities in 31 financing awards that involve “humanitarian assistance that saves lives”, none of which has been approved by the agency for payments that will be published.
“All or almost all the necessary awards to implement humanitarian assistance that saves lives were completed on February 27 or before,” said Enrich in the Memorandum. “The number of deaths attributable to the loss of funds and support of USAID is not known at this time.”
On Sunday, Enrich was put on administrative license, a source with knowledge of the confirmed situation. NBC News won Enrich’s farewell email to colleagues.
“Working with this incredible group of experts and professionals to improve global health was the most rewarding that I have had the opportunity to do,” he wrote.
The cancellation of the Trump administration of $ 60 billion in funds for USAID had begun to unravel significant programs and caused deep damage to many of the most vulnerable people in the world, humanitarian officials said last week.
On Wednesday, the White House presented plans to reduce the vast majority of contracts held by USAID.
USAID workers said last week that Trump administration cuts are already having an impact worldwide, affecting biosecurity, food supplies for countries affected by famine and virus vaccines 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 help.”
Trump and billionaire advisor Elon Musk, in charge of leading the government’s efficiency department, have cuts a priority to USAID, arguing that he wasted taxpayers’ dollars and has sent a liberal agenda worldwide.
