Trump admin to slash thousands of USAID positions just before midnight
The Trump administration is eliminating thousands of positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), while also placing the majority of the remaining staff members on administration leave globally, just before midnight Sunday. The Associated Press reported that it learned from the Trump administration that 1,600 posts would be eliminated, after reviewing notices that were sent to USAID workers. “As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally,” the notices read. The Trump administration intends on leaving fewer than 300 staffers on the job, out of the current 8,000 contractors and direct hires. USAID WORKERS SEND MESSAGE TO TRUMP ON BOXES WHILE LEAVING OFFICE FOR LAST TIME The less than 300 remaining staff, along with an unknown number of the 5,000 locally hired international staff members abroad, will run the few life-saving programs that the administration said it intends to keep in place for the time being. Sacked USAID staffers left their Washington, D.C., offices for the last time on Friday, with some carrying boxes scrawled with messages that seemed to be directed at Trump, who is slashing the agency’s workforce. “We are abandoning the world,” read one message on a box containing belongings being hauled out by a grinning staffer as she walked out of USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs office. ‘WASTEFUL AND DANGEROUS’: DOGE’S TOP FIVE MOST SHOCKING REVELATIONS Another smiling staffer’s box had a more upbeat tone, with her message reading: “You can take the humanitarians out of USAID but you can’t take the humanity out of the humanitarians.” Thousands of staffers had been notified weeks ago of their pending dismissals, and on Friday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols lifted a temporary restraining order he had issued at the outset of a lawsuit filed by government employee unions seeking a stop to the mass layoffs. After lifting the temporary restraining order, Nichols declined to issue a longer-term order that would have kept the employees in their posts. Trump has moved to gut the agency after imposing a 90-day pause on foreign aid. He also appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting director of USAID. SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO CONFIRMS BECOMING ACTING USAID CHIEF The agency has come under fire by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for alleged wasteful spending. For instance, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman, recently published a list of projects and programs she says USAID has helped fund over the years, including $20 million to produce a Sesame Street show in Iraq. Several more examples of questionable spending have been uncovered at USAID, including more than $900,000 to a “Gaza-based terror charity” called Bayader Association for Environment and Development and a $1.5 million program slated to “advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.” Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump admin to slash 1,600 USAID positions just before midnight
The Trump administration is eliminating over a thousand positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), while also placing the majority of the remaining staff members on administration leave globally, just before midnight Sunday. The Associated Press reported that it learned from the Trump administration that 1,600 posts would be eliminated after reviewing notices that were sent to USAID workers. “As of 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 23, 2025, all USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally,” the notices read. The Trump administration intends on leaving fewer than 300 staffers on the job, out of the current 8,000 contractors and direct hires. USAID WORKERS SEND MESSAGE TO TRUMP ON BOXES WHILE LEAVING OFFICE FOR LAST TIME The less than 300 remaining staff, along with an unknown number of the 5,000 locally hired international staff members abroad, will run the few life-saving programs that the administration said it intends to keep in place for the time being. Sacked USAID staffers left their Washington, D.C., offices for the last time on Friday, with some carrying boxes scrawled with messages that seemed to be directed at Trump, who is slashing the agency’s workforce. “We are abandoning the world,” read one message on a box containing belongings being hauled out by a grinning staffer as she walked out of USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs office. ‘WASTEFUL AND DANGEROUS’: DOGE’S TOP FIVE MOST SHOCKING REVELATIONS Another smiling staffer’s box had a more upbeat tone, with her message reading: “You can take the humanitarians out of USAID but you can’t take the humanity out of the humanitarians.” Thousands of staffers had been notified weeks ago of their pending dismissals, and on Friday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols lifted a temporary restraining order he had issued at the outset of a lawsuit filed by government employee unions seeking a stop to the mass layoffs. After lifting the temporary restraining order, Nichols declined to issue a longer-term order that would have kept the employees in their posts. Trump has moved to gut the agency after imposing a 90-day pause on foreign aid. He also appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting director of USAID. SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO CONFIRMS BECOMING ACTING USAID CHIEF The agency has come under fire by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for alleged wasteful spending. For instance, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman, recently published a list of projects and programs she says USAID has helped fund over the years, including $20 million to produce a Sesame Street show in Iraq. Several more examples of questionable spending have been uncovered at USAID, including more than $900,000 to a “Gaza-based terror charity” called Bayader Association for Environment and Development and a $1.5 million program slated to “advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.” Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
80 years ago Marines raised flag over Iwo Jima in iconic moment
On Feb. 23, 1945, six Marines teamed up for what would become one of the most iconic photos in American history. Marines fighting on Iwo Jima scaled Mount Suribachi and worked together to push up an American flag, a moment that was captured by military photographers and later became an enduring symbol of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in World War II. Marines initially invaded Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, as part of the U.S. island-hopping campaign in the Pacific, and it took four days to gain the summit of Suribachi, according to a Department of Defense report. VANCE TOURS DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP AHEAD OF MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE: ‘WHAT UNSPEAKABLE EVIL’ “The taking of the 554-foot hill was significant, in that it suppressed the fire from Japanese who were dug in and who had prime vantage of much of the island,” the DOD report reads. Fighting continued on the island until March 26, resulting in the injury or death of about 27,000 Marines and sailors. The brutal fighting also led to the deaths of 21,000 Japanese soldiers, who defended the island through a series of caves, tunnels and pillboxes. WWII VETERAN TURNS 100, REVEALS THE SECRETS OF A LONG, HEALTHY LIFE Yet the photo from four days into the battle remains its enduring image, spreading rapidly throughout the world and becoming a powerful recruiting and morale tool for the U.S. government. “The photo was the centerpiece of a war-bond poster that helped raise $26 billion in 1945,” the Pulitzer Prize Board wrote in its online account of the image. While the identity of the men in the photo has been the subject of decades of debate, the most recent research suggests the men are, from left, Pfc. Ira Hayes, Pfc. Harold Schultz, Sgt. Michael Strank, Pfc. Franklin Sousley, Pfc. Harold Keller and Cpl. Harlon Block. Block, Sousley and Strank were later killed during the fighting on Iwo Jima. But the image has endured the test of time, being duplicated on everything from postage stamps to a memorial just north of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
Trump celebrates conservative party win in Germany
President Donald Trump celebrated on Sunday after German conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory in a national election, ousting Social Democrat incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “LOOKS LIKE THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN GERMANY HAS WON THE VERY BIG AND HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ELECTION,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “MUCH LIKE THE USA, THE PEOPLE OF GERMANY GOT TIRED OF THE NO COMMON SENSE AGENDA, ESPECIALLY ON ENERGY AND IMMIGRATION, THAT HAS PREVAILED FOR SO MANY YEARS. “THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR GERMANY, AND FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF A GENTLEMAN NAMED DONALD J. TRUMP,” he added. “CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL — MANY MORE VICTORIES TO FOLLOW!!!” Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won Sunday’s national election, with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) finishing a strong second, according to exit polls. TRUMP SET TO MEET WITH WORLD LEADERS IN DC DURING BUSY WEEK AS RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE TALKS CONTINUE The snap election came as the European nation grapples with illegal immigration and a souring economy. CDU leader Merz is expected to take a harder line than Scholz on immigration, though not as much as AfD supporters have called for. Merz, whose party got about 29% of the vote, must form a coalition with one or more of the other parties, but has said he will not do so with AfD. ECONOMY, IMMIGRATION, ELON MUSK AT CENTER OF GERMAN ELECTION; CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE FAVORED TO WIN Merz has said he will execute a 15-point plan to tackle immigration, including tightening the borders and deporting rejected asylum seekers. AfD wants to deport migrants en masse. While the AfD may be frozen out of the incoming coalition, it doubled its vote total from the last election. Endorsed by Trump and Elon Musk, and led by Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the party believes it has built momentum for the next election, expected in 2029.
Trump set to meet with world leaders in DC during busy week as Russia-Ukraine peace talks continue
President Donald Trump is set to have another busy week meeting with foreign leaders in the nation’s capital as administration leaders continue working out a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Trump will meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in his fifth week back in the Oval Office, national security advisor Mike Waltz said on Fox News’ “America Reports.” The announcement follows Macron calling for an emergency meeting of world leaders after the Trump administration excluded Europe from sitting at the negotiating table to settle the war between Ukraine and Russia. “Just a few months ago, everyone was talking about this war as though it would never end,” Waltz said on “America Reports” after confirming Starmer and Macron will visit Washington, D.C. “In just a very short amount of time, President Trump has us, everyone – the Ukrainians, the Russians, the Europeans – talking about it now and debating.… Only President Trump could drive that shift in conversation. And we have to acknowledge that that’s happened.” TRUMP SOUNDS OFF ON ZELENSKYY’S INSULTS AS US WORKS TO BROKER UKRAINE PEACE DEAL WITH RUSSIA: ‘I’VE HAD IT’ Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met in Riyadh last week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov to hash out ways to end the conflict. Ukraine was absent from the negotiations in Saudi Arabia. RUSSIA, UKRAINE TAKE ‘SIGNIFICANT FIRST STEP TOWARD PEACE’ AFTER RUBIO-LED NEGOTIATIONS, WHITE HOUSE INSISTS Ukraine’s lack of involvement sparked President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy to double down on the stance that his nation will not accept a peace deal unless they are a part of the negotiation process. Zelenskyy told reporters Tuesday in Turkey that “nobody decides anything behind our back,” after stressing in recent days that Kyiv will not agree to a peace negotiation without Ukraine’s input. Trump amplified his rhetoric against Zelenskyy last week, including arguing Zelenskyy is a poor negotiator and that he’s “sick of it.” “I’ve been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated,” Trump told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade last week. “I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it,” he continued. “You just get sick of it, and I’ve had it.” TRUMP’S FRUSTRATIONS WITH ZELENSKYY ESCALATE AS US TURNS UP PRESSURE ON UKRAINE TO REACH PEACE DEAL “I get tired of listening to it,” Trump responded. “I’ve seen it enough, and then he complains that he’s not at a meeting that we’re having with Saudi Arabia trying to intermediate peace. Well, he’s been at meetings for three years with a… president who didn’t know what the hell he was doing. He’s been at the meetings for three years and nothing got done, so I don’t think he’s very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you. He’s been there for three years. He’s he makes it very hard to make deals.” Trump added on Friday that Macron and Starmer “haven’t done anything” since 2022 to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump’s recent remarks on Zelenskyy have apparently alarmed European leaders who have backed Ukraine throughout the war. Macron previewed in remarks on Thursday that he will reportedly take a tough tone with Trump during their meeting. TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY WAR OF WORDS HEATS UP EVEN AS US LOOKS TO WIND DOWN WAR IN UKRAINE “Trump, I know him. I respect him and I believe he respects me,” Macron, who will meet with Trump on Monday, said during a question-and-answer session on social media. “I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President (Vladimir Putin). It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of, and it’s not in your interests.” Starmer, who is slated to meet with Trump on Thursday, said on Sunday in Scotland that there cannot be peace talks without Ukraine’s input. “Nobody wants the bloodshed to continue. Nobody, least of all the Ukrainians,” he said Sunday, according to Reuters. “But after everything that they have suffered, after everything that they have fought for, there could be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine, and the people of Ukraine must have a long-term secure future.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke to members of the media on Saturday following CPAC, saying a peace deal could be reached as soon as this week. “The president, his team are very much focused on continuing negotiations with both sides of this war to end the conflict, and the president is very confident we can get it done this week,” she said. Fox News Digital’s Bailee Hill, Morgan Phillips and Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
DOD tells civilian workforce to ignore Elon Musk’s request to report productivity
The Department of Defense (DOD) told its civilian workforce to ignore billionaire and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk’s request to report their productivity. In a letter to DOD personnel, Darin S. Selnick, who is performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, provided guidance on how to handle Musk’s demand through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). “DoD personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and it will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures,” Selnick wrote. “When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM. For now, please pause any response to the OPM email titled, ‘What did you do last week.’” Musk, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, said earlier on Saturday that employees would receive an email giving them a chance to explain how productive they were the previous week. If an employee fails to respond to the email, Musk said the government will interpret that as a resignation. ELON MUSK SAYS ‘BAR IS VERY LOW’ AFTER ORDERING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO FILL OUT PRODUCTIVITY REPORTS OR RESIGN “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” Later that day, Musk said the report should take under five minutes for employees to write. The deadline for responding to the email is 11:59 p.m. on Monday. ELON MUSK SAYS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST FILL OUT PRODUCTIVITY REPORTS OR RESIGN “To be clear, the bar is very low here. An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write,” Musk wrote on X. A spokesperson from OPM confirmed Musk’s plans. “As part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce, OPM is asking employees to provide a brief summary of what they did last week by the end of Monday, CC’ing their manager,” the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Agencies will determine any next steps.” WHITE HOUSE OUTLINES WHERE DOGE SAVINGS COULD GO AFTER TRUMP FLOATS RETURNING 20% TO AMERICANS Also telling employees to stand down was Kash Patel, who was confirmed by the Senate last week as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information,” Patel told employees, according to The Associated Press. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.” The State Department also reportedly issued a similar message to employees on Saturday, informing them that department officials “will respond on behalf of the Department,” according to a message sent by Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, who serves as acting under secretary of state for management. Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion, Andrea Margolis and Fox News’ Patrick Ward contributed to this report.
Television star believes Trump’s policies will win in long run
Popular TV host Mike Rowe believes that President Donald Trump’s policies will be better for the country in the long run. Asked by Fox News Digital how he feels about Trump’s first few weeks back in office, Rowe indicated that he is “happy” with what he has seen so far and optimistic about the future outlook. “I’m a one-issue guy, I got a foundation, we’re trying to close the skills gap, he wants to bring manufacturing back, and I am all for it,” Rowe said of Trump from the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday. “But right now we got 7.2 million men, able-bodied, who are not looking for work. They’re just sitting out of the workforce. And we’ve got giant shortages already in dozens of skilled trades, so I think part of what has to happen is a PR campaign to reinvigorate the trades as we bring back the manufacturing.” THE AGE OF RELYING ON CREDENTIALS IS NEARING AN END, MIKE ROWE SAYS Rowe noted that he is willing to put his money where his mouth is to assist the effort and indicated he was available to help Trump with the issue as well. “I got a million bucks I am giving away this month to microworks.org to help train the next generation of skilled workers. If I could be of use in any other capacity in that regard, I am at his disposal,” Rowe said. MIKE ROWE WARNS ABOUT STIGMA ‘GUNK’ AROUND TRADES THAT KEEPS KIDS FROM EXPLORING INDUSTRY Touching on Trump’s tariff and trade policies, Rowe acknowledged the possibility of some short-term pain for American industries but argued the payoff would be worth it in the end. “Yes, they will hurt short term. Is it worth it long term?” Rowe said. “Look, do you want to be dependent on China? Do you want to be reliant on other countries? These are really simple, fundamental questions. If the answer is we want to be more independent, there’s going to be some short-term pain.” “I think it will be worth it to be less reliant on countries who hate us,” Rowe added. “I think it will be worth it to be less dependent on countries that aren’t terribly concerned with what’s best for us. I am all for an equal playing field, and I am all for every kind of independence we can muster, whether it’s energy independence, economic independence, workforce independence, all of it.”
Pope penned resignation letter in 2013: report
Pope Francis signed a letter of resignation in 2013 to be used in case he was forced from his duties as a result of bad health. “I have already signed my resignation. Tarcisio Bertone was Secretary of State. I signed it and I told him: ‘In case of impediment for medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation,’” the Pope said during a 2022 interview, according to a report at the time from the New York Post. The resurfaced interview comes as Francis has been hospitalized for over a week and was reported to be in critical condition after suffering an asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday, according to a report from the Associated Press. POPE FRANCIS HAD PEACEFUL NIGHT’S REST AT HOSPITAL FOLLOWING RESPIRATORY CRISIS, VATICAN SAYS Francis also received blood transfusions after tests revealed he had a low platelet count, according to a Reuters report. Francis, who turned 88 in December, has long faced questions about what he would do if health issues left him unable to carry out his duties. Such questions would have been unheard of prior to 2013, when Pope Benedict XVI resigned, becoming the first papal resignation in over 600 years. Francis revealed during the 2022 interview that he gave his resignation letter to the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a holdover from Benedict XVI, about six months after being elected to the papacy in March 2013. POPE FRANCIS SHARES WRITTEN MESSAGE WHILE CONTINUING HOSPITALIZATION “You have it. I don’t know to whom Cardinal Bertone may have given it, but I gave it to him when he was secretary of state,” Francis said at the time. As Francis continued his hospitalization in Rome on Sunday, he shared a message thanking those who have kept him in their prayers during his health struggle. “I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children,” Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. “Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!” “I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests,” another post said. “May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!”
Trump envoy Witkoff seeking ‘extension’ of Phase 1 of Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, to head back to Middle East
President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said Sunday that he would aim to negotiate an “extension” of Phase One of the Israel-Hamas hostage release and ceasefire deal when he returns to the region this week. “We have to get an extension of Phase One. And, so I’ll be going into the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that,” Witkoff said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “And we’re hoping you have the proper time to finish off to begin Phase Two and finish it off and get more hostages released. And move this – move the discussion forward.” Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidante of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly met with Witkoff in Washington, D.C., last week. In regard to the meeting, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Witkoff if he believes Netanyahu “wants to move forward with the ceasefire, or does he want to resume the war to try to eliminate Hamas?” ISRAEL DELAYS PALESTINIAN PRISONER RELEASE AFTER HAMAS’ ‘HUMILIATING’ TREATMENT OF HOSTAGES, NETANYAHU SAYS Witkoff said he believes the prime minister “is well-motivated” and wants to see “the hostages released,” as well “to protect the state of Israel.” “And so he’s got a red line,” Witkoff said. “And he said what the red line is, and that is that Hamas cannot be involved in a governing body when this thing is resolved.” “They can’t be any part of governance in Gaza,” the U.S. envoy said of Hamas. “And, you know, as to existing, I’d leave that – that detail to the prime minister.” In another Sunday show appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Witkoff said he would arrive “probably Wednesday evening” in the Middle East and would visit various countries, including Qatar, Egypt, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. He added that the last remaining living American hostage, Edan Alexander, remains a top priority in negotiations. “He’s front and center for us,” Witkoff said. “I know his parents. We talk all the time. He’s critical. It’s one of President Trump’s most important objectives is to get all Americans home. And we’re going to be successful in getting Edan home, I believe.” REMAINS OF SHIRI BIBAS, MOM OF TWO KILLED, ALLEGEDLY RETURNED TO ISRAEL FOLLOWING HAMAS’ BROKEN PROMISE According to the May 27 protocol agreement, Witkoff explained that Phase Two involves both “a permanent ceasefire, a cessation of all violence,” as well as “the fact that Hamas cannot be allowed to come back into the government” in Gaza. “And I think the way you square that circle is that Hamas has to go. They’ve got to leave,” Witkoff said, adding, “I would say physically, that’s correct.” The envoy said he was not at liberty to say which countries might take in people from Gaza during ongoing negotiations, but stressed that Gaza would not be a safe living environment for another 15 to 20 years following the war and requires an extension reconstruction plan. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced Saturday night that “in light of Hamas’s repeated violations, including the ceremonies that humiliate our hostages and the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes, it has been decided to delay the release of terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies.” In a video message Friday, Netanyahu condemned how Hamas “brutally murdered” two young Israeli boys, whose bodies were initially returned to Israel without the remains of their mother, Shiri Bibas. In what Netanyahu decried as a “brazen violation of their agreement,” Hamas initially handed over the wrong body for Bibas, whose actual remains were later returned and identified Saturday following an intense standoff with the terrorist group. Hamas handed over another six Israelis on Saturday in the latest scheduled release of living hostages.
Border Patrol taking control of former USAID HQ
The downtown Washington, D.C., Ronald Reagan building will undergo a dramatic shift as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) takes over the longtime headquarters of the Agency for International Development (USAID), Fox News Digital has confirmed. “CBP has signed a license agreement to occupy approximately 390,000 usable square feet in the USAID tower,” a CBP spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The news, which was originally reported by Politico, comes after a federal judge on Friday declined to keep in place a temporary block that was preventing President Donald Trump from removing all but a small number of USAID staffers, clearing the way for the administration to continue its dramatic cuts to federal departments, according to a report from the Associated Press. USAID WORKERS SEND MESSAGE TO TRUMP ON BOXES WHILE LEAVING OFFICE FOR LAST TIME USAID, a decades-old foreign assistance agency, was one of the first targets for cuts by the new administration, sparking a lawsuit filed by unions representing federal workers in an attempt to block the layoffs. The suit accused the Trump administration of stalling medical evacuations for USAID staffers and family members overseas and cutting off contractors from emergency communications while also challenging the constitutionality of the administration’s sudden cuts, which the suit argues requires congressional approval. “At present, the agency is still standing,” U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols wrote in the ruling. “And so the alleged injuries on which plaintiffs rely in seeking injunctive relief flow essentially from their members’ existing employment relationships with USAID.” ‘WASTEFUL AND DANGEROUS’: DOGE’S TOP FIVE MOST SHOCKING REVELATIONS With the drastic reduction in staffing and the loss of its longtime headquarters, questions remain about the future of USAID and its mission. Earlier this month, the State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been appointed as acting administrator for the agency with an eye toward possible reorganization of its activities under the State Department. “The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has long strayed from its original mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad, and it is now abundantly clear that significant portions of USAID funding are not aligned with the core national interests of the United States,” the State Department said in a statement. “As we evaluate USAID and ensure it is in alignment with an America First agenda and the efforts of the State Department, we will continue to protect the American people’s interests and ensure their tax dollars are not wasted.”