1,000 USAID Programs Survived. Can We Go Back Now?
Will the USAID ecosystem return to its pre-1/20 existence? Will our previous lives and jobs come back now?
Yesterday, we had three related movements on foreign assistance activity from this Administration:
Secretary Rubio finished reviewing all USAID contracts, and 1,000 survived termination. Those will be administered by the State Department.
The other 5,100 programs are terminated. That’s about 85% of all programs that existed on January 20. Seems those terminations are permanent.
A court said USAID contractors must be paid for invoices already submitted. There are reports of multi-million dollar payments received.
This brings up a pertinent question: Will the USAID ecosystem—the Agency and its contractors, consultants, and implementing partners—be able to return to its pre-1/20 existence? Will our previous lives and jobs come back now?
3 Reasons Why We Cannot Go Back
God, I so wish we could return to the world we knew on January 19. The pain, the tears, the raw emotional screaming I’ve done over the past seven weeks feels like a living nightmare that I want to end.
However, a realistic look at the situation exposes at least three reasons why we must continue on our career pivot journey, despite the pain and confusion.
1. More than 85% of our jobs are gone
None of the news spoke of USAID staff returning or the Agency resurrecting itself. Legal or not, its fate is clear. It will exist in name only. If that.
Then, there is the simple fact that 85% or more of the jobs that existed on January 19 are gone forever. Every one of those terminated contracts represents dozens of jobs that will not resume in the coming weeks, no matter how much we wish them to return.
With greatly reduced funding, many companies will not survive. EnCompass already folded. It will not be the last. Those that survive will be a shell of their former selves. They will be depressing places to work. If you can get a job there.
2. What’s left will be tortured
NED had its funding resumed. Yet, I would not be celebrating too much. The aims of the Administration are clear. They will continue to berate, degrade, and destroy anything related to USAID and foreign assistance.
Those surviving programs that are now administered by the State Department will be tortured on a daily basis by every political wind, breeze, or gust. Expect micromanagement, audits, and second-guessing well in excess of any USAID OIG inspection.
3. Surviving programs can still be canceled
I loved my job. I loved my work. I don’t think I’d love working under this regime.
Every working day, I’d have to wonder if a random tweet would cause the President or unelected leaders to cancel my contract. It would be worse than walking on eggshells—if you could find or afford eggs.
Doing right by my program or my constituents, even simply doing what the contract says I must do, could bring out a wave of negativity from online trolls looking for a new victim.
We Must Continue Our Pivot
I want control over my life again. I want to have pride in my work and for my family have pride in the work I do. I want to talk confidently about my work with my neighbors.
I want the same agency I instilled in the communities I worked with previously.
We will only find that measure of control, that semblance of normality, that level of pride in our work, when we embrace our pivot.
Today, I am looking to be a digital product manager. It may be what I look to be next week. It may be my official job title next month. Or maybe not.
At least I am in control. Or as much control over my career as I’ve ever had. It’s certainly more control that I’d have trying to return to an industry destroyed.
I will not lie to you. A career pivot is hard. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Yet, we can do it together. We can overcome this pain and find meaning and happiness in our lives again.
