Thousands of USAID employees were laid off or placed on administrative leave, and North Carolina's universities are feeling the effects on Monday.
The order from the Trump administration took effect at midnight when President Donald Trump's appointees in charge of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Sunday afternoon sent an email to employees with the announcement that they were firing 2,000 people and placing most of the staff on leave with few exceptions.
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USAID funds humanitarian efforts across the globe, and North Carolina organizations receive nearly $1 billion a year from USAID, according to the agency.
Among the top recipients of USAID dollars in North Carolina are the state’s universities.
North Carolina State University received $2.2 million from the agency last fiscal year, while the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received around $17.5 million.
A UNC spokesperson said the money went toward several programs, including one that helps track the spread of tuberculosis.
The university confirmed nine programs have received stop work orders.
According to USAID, the agency partners with four North Carolina universities: N.C. State, N.C. A&T, Duke University and Fayetteville State University. The agency also partners with state farmers and nonprofits, working in areas including agriculture, economic growth, environment, education, democracy, human rights, women's empowerment and global health.
Earlier this month, WRAL News reported public health experts warned that thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic impact in North Carolina are on the line if USAID employees are laid off.
Trump and Elon Musk have argued that spending is often both wasteful and filled with fraud. In a post on X, Musk called the agency “a criminal organization.”