They receive free food intended for low-income people. Only half of the laid-off USAID employees have found work — NYT

Only half of the 16,000 employees dismissed from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have managed to find work, and their incomes have fallen dramatically.

This was reported by The New York Times.

According to the publication, USAID employees used to earn salaries of $10,000 to $20,000 per month. But after a year without work, many have already spent their savings, cashed out retirement funds, moved in with relatives, and started receiving free food assistance for low-income people.

Amy Uccello worked for USAID, while her husband received USAID funding for his organization. Both lost their jobs after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to restructure the agency. They applied for more than 100 vacancies, but without success. Most of their friends also still remain unemployed.

Jacquelyn Devine was luckier, becoming one of the few who managed to find a job: “A year later, her $200,000 income as an agency contractor was replaced by $9,000 for teaching two public health courses at Towson University in Maryland. She is making ends meet through investment income and an annuity from her previous job at the World Bank.”

At the same time, the article claims that employees and executives of organizations funded by USAID received high salaries — from about $175,000 to $272,000 per year for ordinary staff. For top management at some organizations, salaries, according to the publication, reached $300,000 to $400,000, and in some cases nearly $1 million a year. For comparison, the average salary in Washington is $68,000, while the average salary of a U.S. governor is $150,000.

As previously reported, USAID financed more than one hundred organizations in Ukraine, including media outlets, with a total amount of $7 billion, and also funded programs in energy, healthcare, and gender inclusivity.