MyPR International: Department Press Briefing – March 28, 2025

As the Office of the Secretary also announced today, the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, have notified Congress on their intent to undertake a reorganization that would involve realigning certain USAID functions to the Department by July 1st, 2025, and discontinuing the remaining USAID functions that do not align with the administrative – administration priorities, I should say.

In the words of Secretary Rubio in his statement: “Foreign assistance done right can advance our national interests, protect our borders, and strengthen our partnerships with key allies. Unfortunately, USAID strayed from its original mission long ago. As a result, the gains were too few and the costs were too high. Thanks to President Trump, this misguided and fiscally irresponsible era is now over.” We are relenting – “We are reorienting,” I should say, “our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States and our citizens. We are continuing essential lifesaving programs and making strategic investments that strengthen our partners and our own country. This is yet another promise made and delivered to the American people.”

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QUESTION: Thanks. Just staying on USAID, or USAID.

MS BRUCE: Sure.

QUESTION: Today USAID Foreign Service officers received a reduction in force notice, the ones – this is hundreds of officers who are based abroad for USAID. Can you confirm that all Foreign Service officers’ positions will be terminated now and that they will all be coming home? And do you have or will there be transparency on how much it’s going to cost to bring home hundreds of USAID Foreign Service officers home, including their families, those, as you know, that have been based abroad and have their whole lives integrated into different countries abroad? Some of them have been working abroad for many, many years.

MS BRUCE: Yes. The Secretary has mentioned throughout this process – I’ve mentioned to you – that with any major change, there’s going to be disruption. This particular review and project to assess the nature of waste and fraud and abuse, and whether or not these programs and the grants align with America’s priorities, has been public news, worldwide news. We’ve discussed it openly. We’ve seen what’s happened. And so it’s something that I think most people, we’ve been waiting for this conclusion. It has arrived.

I can’t speak to the number of people who will not be a Foreign Service officer at this point. I can’t say if it’s going to be every single one. It is – there’ll be a point where I don’t have to speak about fluid situations and things that are changing and moving every day. But of course this is part – it’s a restructuring, essentially. And there’s going to be – from one statement made, there’ll be from USAID and – a statement about the last mission, if you will – is that like any restructuring, there will inevitably be disruptions.

From Secretary Rubio down, we are committed to ensuring that USAID personnel remain safe, and that the agency’s ongoing lifesaving aid programs remain both intact and operational. And it’s something that we’re committed to. There are periods of time for blocks of individuals to come home and to be separated. But it’s dynamic when you’re looking at such a reorganization that’s going to happen. We will, I’m sure, with this being a public story, have more information every day, and when that’s possible, as I seek it out I will bring it to you.

All right.

QUESTION: And just one on the RIF. Just –

MS BRUCE: Sure.

QUESTION: This note also said that employees will be separated from the Foreign Service effective from the 1st of July. Does that mean that they are not guaranteed an opportunity to apply for jobs inside the State Department?

MS BRUCE: Well, no, that’s not true. There is – there will be jobs that then can be applied for by those who have been separated. I can’t tell you how many of those will exist or even the structure of what that is, but there’s been a very specific note that for the jobs that then are open, these individuals, or at least some of them, will be able to apply. So that will be part of it as well.

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QUESTION: The – a lot of the embassies that he’s been visiting have also big USAID missions and local staff that are hired for them.

MS BRUCE: Yes.

QUESTION: So in this reduction, are all the local staff also being hired – I mean fired – as you downsize USAID?

MS BRUCE: Well, the – yeah. The messages I’ve seen and the guidance I’ve received is about Foreign Service officers. So I can’t speak to where foreign – where the staff, the local staff there, fits within that framework, but – so if they’re not Foreign Service officers. But each mission is in a different dynamic. So I would – I can’t speak to that at this point.

QUESTION: And one other question on another topic. The – Kari Lake is talking about firing about almost 700 journalists at VOA. For those who are visa holders and from countries that – where it might be dangerous for them to return —

MS BRUCE: Yes.

QUESTION: — what’s the State Department doing, like, to give them time to apply for asylum, or what kind of programs are in place to help people, like, in that position?

MS BRUCE: Yes. I mean, this is a recurring question, it’s an important one, and it’s good for people in this situation and other situations. The visa dynamic for people involved in this situation is no different than everyone else who has a visa – that if you’re here on a work visa and your job ends, some people have gotten another job on that framework and have – and reapplied and have gotten visa for that new job. If you are – if that’s not going to happen, of course, there’s, like, a 30-day[2] period of time for you to take action about going home, going to your home country or not. But then you would be here without a visa illegally.

If you are from a country and you cannot return because of fear of what will occur to you if returning to that country, you can apply for asylum. There’s – this is true for everyone who holds a visa who loses that visa and is – would be – believes that they would be in trouble going back to their home country. That is an option and that is something that they can do as well if that’s the case that they face. All right.