Last week saw Elon Musk reveal that President Donald Trump had agreed to effectively shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The announcement was followed by a massive round of layoffs that one USAID employee compared to "a horror film."

USAID employee: "Might as well shut it all down"

That's according to the Daily Mail, which reported on Friday that some 8,000 staff members and contractors had been placed on leave or permanent furlough.

Although the administration's plan had originally been to get rid of all but 297 employees, that figure had risen to 611 by Thursday evening.

"There is no bottom to this stupidity," one USAID staffer was quoted as telling National Public Radio (NPR). "Might as well shut it all down. 290 people won't be able to do anything."

However, the New York Post reported that a federal judge moved on Friday to temporarily block mass removals from taking effect until February 15.

That came in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Foreign Service Association and American Federation of Government Employees, both of whom argued that layoff could endanger employees who are based overseas.

USAID paid out $1.5 million to LGBTQI+ group in Serbia

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reported that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has uncovered a slew of controversial spending decisions by USAID.

This included paying a Serbian LGBTQI+ organization $1.5 million to "advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities, by promoting economic empowerment of and opportunity for LGBTQI+ people in Serbia."

The group seeks to "foster an environment that increases employment potential for LGBTQI+ persons" as well as increase "opportunities for LGBTQI+ entrepreneurs, and reduces workplace discrimination."

USAID also allocated half a million dollars towards the promotion of atheism in Nepal, something which was met with condemnation from Vice President J.D. Vance.

Vance decries "absurdity" of USAID's spending priorities

"In recent years, too often has our nation's international engagement on religious liberty issues been corrupted and distorted to the point of absurdity," Vance told Fox News.

‘Spreading atheism’: Vance warns religious efforts abroad ‘corrupted’ by US bureaucracy amid USAID controversy https://t.co/F5uv3w96Xi

— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 6, 2025

"Think about it: How did America get to a point where we're sending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars abroad to NGOs that are dedicated to spreading atheism all over the globe? That is not what leadership on protecting the rights of the faithful looks like," he asked.