A senior official with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was placed on leave after issuing a memo warning that the administration’s freeze on foreign aid and mass terminations would lead to preventable deaths, destabilization, and threats to national security.
Nick Enrich, the acting assistant administrator for USAID Global Health, was suspended shortly after distributing the seven-page memo outlining the agency’s failure to implement lifesaving humanitarian assistance. Despite a temporary waiver allowing essential aid such as medicine, food, and shelter to continue, many programs remained unfunded due to bureaucratic obstacles and shifting directives.
The memo pointed to political leadership as the primary cause of the failures, citing refusals to pay for contracted services, restrictions on payment systems, and inconsistent definitions of what qualified as “lifesaving” aid. The document further detailed that crucial programs were abruptly terminated, leaving many without vital resources.
Seventy-two programs deemed critical to humanitarian assistance had not received funding, according to internal reports. The administration had recently conducted a review of USAID’s foreign aid initiatives and decided to cut approximately 90% of them.
In early February, an adviser for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) issued a directive instructing Enrich to cease reviewing foreign aid awards set for termination. The justification given was that further review delayed the processing of termination notices. The memo stated that nearly all essential awards for humanitarian assistance had been eliminated by late February. The number of deaths resulting from these decisions remains unknown.
Enrich’s email, which was sent to both current staff and those recently dismissed or placed on leave, warned of the dire consequences of these cuts. Shortly after distributing the memo, he was notified of his suspension. Sources familiar with the situation indicated that the decision to remove him had been made in advance of his email being sent.
