The fate of USAID employees in Egypt: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has placed its foreign employees in Egypt on indefinite leave as it remains unclear whether the agency will fully resume operations, a well-informed source told EnterpriseAM. Some have already departed Egypt and went back to their hometowns, while others are finishing up the required paperwork to fly back home.

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DATA POINT- The Egyptian arm of USAID used to employ some 1.2k Egyptians and foreigners, all of whom are yet to receive their January salaries.

ICYMI- US President Donald Trump signed off on a 90-day funding pause to all foreign aid from the world’s largest foreign aid donor. Newly-appointed State Secretary Marco Rubio will now vet all US foreign aid against the new administration’s foreign policy before turning back on to the tap.

It’s not just Egypt: The agency’s website had gone down last week, with some of its top officials put on leave as doubt swirls about USAID — and its funding’s — future. The number of USAID employees was slashed from over 10k to less than 300, sources told Reuters on Thursday.

As things stand: Over the weekend a federal judge blocked Trump’s plan to place 2.2k USAID workers on paid leave — the block will remain in place until next Friday.

Also affected were the 1.1k Egyptian students on USAID-backed scholarships — the Higher Education Ministry has since stepped in to make sure those students are able to continue the semester.

How big of a role did USAID play in Egypt? The agency had nine main programs active in Egypt — they covered macroeconomics, health, education, environment, agriculture, food, social protection, and female empowerment. The USAID shutting its doors will mean that these programs will lose a lot more than just funding, they will miss out on the technical support granted by the agency — it often had experts flying in to support the programs and some local helping hands flying out to receive training abroad.

A lifeline? While the Madbouly government may decide to step in in the form of technical support to keep the programs going.

Some of the ministries will also be hit by the decision: Some ministries used to receive technical support from the USAID, the source added.

In the leadup to the 90-day halt, USAID offices all over the world received directives to stop funding any gender or women empowerment programs, the source said, explaining that what was once atop the US administration’s list (gender equality) has fallen off its list.

The agriculture sector’s future remains unclear: The future of the USAID’s USD 1.4 bn in support for the local agriculture sector remains uncertain, the source said, while another added that the health sector has also been hit, with all USAID-funded public health projects, including those backed by the World Health Organization, have been shut down.

Also in limbo: The second version of the USAID-funded Macro-Economic Stabilization and Reform initiative, which had been pending approval for three months, has also halted.

BEYOND EGYPT- The death of USAID will likely result in the spread of disease and delays in the development of vaccines and new treatments, health experts told the BBC.

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