A senior official at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) warned in an email on Sunday that the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency would result in preventable deaths—only to inform his staff less than 30 minutes later that he had been placed on administrative leave.
Nicholas Enrich, USAID’s acting assistant administrator for global health, stated in a seven-page memo seen by Reuters that “political leadership” had made it impossible to deliver critical humanitarian aid worldwide. His remarks contradicted assurances from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that essential aid would continue despite President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting measures.
Just 20 minutes later, Enrich sent another email—also obtained by Reuters—stating that he had been “placed on administrative leave, effective immediately.”
A source familiar with the matter claimed that the decision to place Enrich on leave had been made on Wednesday, prior to his memo on the consequences of USAID’s dismantling.
Spokespeople for the State Department and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Enrich also did not reply to a request for clarification.
Enrich’s memo revealed that blocked USAID programs included efforts to contain a deadly Ebola outbreak in Uganda, which had already claimed two lives and infected ten people.
“This will undoubtedly lead to preventable deaths, destabilization, and national security threats on a massive scale,” he wrote in the document, dated February 28 and widely shared with staff in the global health division on Sunday.
The Trump administration announced last week that it was canceling nearly 10,000 foreign aid grants and contracts, amounting to approximately $60 billion—effectively cutting 90% of USAID’s global programs.
USAID’s closure is part of an unprecedented federal downsizing initiative spearheaded by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), throwing international humanitarian relief efforts into disarray.
In a separate memo seen by Reuters, Enrich estimated that a year-long pause in USAID’s lifesaving aid could result in:
- 71,000 to 166,000 additional malaria deaths, a nearly 40% increase
- A 28-32% surge in global tuberculosis cases
- Up to 28,000 cases of emerging infectious diseases, such as Ebola
Following Trump’s directive to freeze all foreign aid in January pending review, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had issued a temporary waiver for essential humanitarian assistance, including medicine, food, and shelter.
However, Enrich stated that political appointees at DOGE had made it impossible to authorize payments for these programs. According to his memo, conflicting guidance from USAID and the State Department created confusion over which programs qualified for the waiver and how they would be funded.
Since February 14, Enrich claimed, “zero lifesaving health activities” had been approved.
Even when a program was granted approval under the waiver, DOGE had allegedly restricted access to the agency’s payment systems.
For instance, USAID received authorization to conduct Ebola response efforts in Uganda a month ago, but partner organizations on the ground were unable to access the necessary funds.
