In Their Own Words
Hear from people on the front lines of this unprecedented
stop-work order.
Real voices. Real impact. Real lives at stake.
Tell Us Your Story!
Click here.
Tell Us Your Story! Click here.
Quotes From the Frontlines
“The stop-work order and rapid terminations have brought my 400+ person organization to the brink of collapse in less than a month. We are rapidly shutting down…projects across 8 countries...”
“Our organization just furloughed all of our staff and let go of all country staff... This includes staff in Goma, where [conflict] is raging. Our project activities provided family planning services to populations in humanitarian and fragile settings who were just cut off from these services without any notice.”
“After 22 years in international development, I was furloughed from a fulfilling job and am left with no salary all of the sudden, a family to support, and bills to pay. The folks who did this to our industry have no idea of the impact of our work and the damage this is doing to America’s reputation around the world. We will all lose in the end and people will suffer and die unnecessarily.”
“I moved to DC for this work. I lost my only source of income because of the stop-work order. I am now on unemployment and have to prepare to move as the entire humanitarian sector is being purged.”
“My company has furloughed 70% of our USG staff—hundreds of employees—and is not able to pay foreign staff. The government owes my company $100 million for work that was completed in 2024.”
“The stop work order has prevented my project from stopping an outbreak of Marburg and Mpox in DRC, specifically, and from strengthening overall outbreak response in dozens of countries.”
“I lost a job I loved, but more importantly 20 million people have lost access to lifesaving HIV treatment.”
“I am one small casualty among millions rippling from the affect on my former org alone, including and especially our work related to educating and empowering girls and to preventing and mitigating gender-based violence.”
“One of my company’s projects is working to combat TB in Myanmar. The project had already ordered (and partially paid for) a shipment of drugs, but they were en route when the stop work order came. They are now sitting in a warehouse somewhere because they cannot be delivered. The US Government will owe both the cost of the drugs and the storage fees- more than they would have paid without the stop work order. Meanwhile, these drugs are expiring, and the people who need them are suffering without the needed medications. ”
“The stop-work order halted our project to strengthen the childcare and protection system in El Salvador. Our project strengthened families and communities, reducing immigration and violence.”
“Because of the stop-work order, all Salvadoran staff at the small NGO I was working for have been laid off. I am currently on unpaid administrative leave, and my family has lost our primary source of income. We are unable to move back to the US as a family because the processing time for our adopted son´s visa went from 5 months at the beginning of January to 49 months now. ”
“There are clinics in both Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya, that I have worked with that provide support and antiviral medication for thousands of people with HIV/AIDS. These clinics are unable to provide these medications to people with HIV, and the local employees of these clinics have no pay. Most significantly, HIV-positive pregnant mothers who take the medication to prevent transmission to their baby in pregnancy do not have access to this life-changing medication for their babies due to the freeze.”
“On a personal note, I am 8 months pregnant and furloughed, but expecting this to turn into a layoff any day now. The trauma of the last month has turned what should be a joyful time into a nightmare. ”
“I don’t know how I’m going to pay for groceries, but millions of people around the world won’t get access to critical food assistance, either. There are no winners here. Aid saves lives and is a critical tool of U.S. foreign policy, making the world—including America—safer, more prosperous, and more peaceful.”
“The stop-work order has cut off my work with local experts who were gathering crucial, impartial data on environmental and energy crises across Latin America and the Caribbean to make sure that our programs were effective. Without this information, USAID can’t effectively support these communities, leaving a dangerous gap that China is ready to fill and jeopardizing our own safety and influence.”
“I am an American who has worked for USAID for over a decade. I recently battled cancer. Losing my job means me not receiving cancer-related surgery and healthcare I need. My life is literally on the line. ”
“We have furloughed 700 US American teammates without pay. All have to go on unemployment, which is not possible to live on, receive health benefits, and thrive on. This is devastating.”
“Clinical trials in collaboration with international partners have been forced to pause, affecting hundreds of participants and setting back years of progress in global health solutions. Our U.S.-based team, along with research partners worldwide, has been unable to continue essential work, putting at risk not only scientific advancements but also the well-being of communities depending on these innovations.”
“My job loss is directly affecting more Americans than just myself. My salary allows my partner to get construction loans to build new houses in our community. He employs several workers, and we employ a nanny. Because of this executive action, four more people are collecting unemployment in my state. ”
“The stop-work order has stopped USAID-funded work to support improved food regulatory systems, trade, and food security projects across the African continent in partnership with experts within the African Union. By the time the 90-day pause is over, these animal health, plant health, and food safety experts may no longer have a job. Further, the U.S. will be seen as less of a reliable partner, allowing the EU and China to fill the gap.”
“The stop-work order meant 150,000 refugee applicants waiting for a chance to be heard and their story to be considered for refuge in the US, being left in the dark without legal pathways to get to the US. Everyone is always talking about how people should go into the US “the right way”, this was the right way and we failed them.”
“My previous job helped stop the spread of Ebola—preventing it from leaving Liberia through providing hand-washing stations, providing information on how to stop the spread of Ebola, and even helping bury victims in a safe and dignified way to prevent further disease spread. The reason that Ebola did not spread to the U.S. in 2014-2016 is because USAID stopped it abroad first.”
“The stop-work order has prevented me and my project from providing women in Jordan with job skills training and support, which will limit Jordan’s economy since not supporting the employment of over half of the workforce will lead to a diminished economy and a worse trade and political partner in the Middle East.”
Captain Jim Penniman-Morin—a West Point graduate, 82nd Airborne veteran, and proud father of seven—knows the meaning of service.
From leading in Iraq and Afghanistan to supporting USAID’s mission of global aid and development, he stands by those making a difference.