Johns Hopkins laying off more than 2,000 workers after dramatic cut in USAID funding

Johns Hopkins University announced Thursday that it will be cutting more than 2,000 jobs after it lost $800 million in funding from the US Agency for International Development amid the Trump administration’s effort to significantly downsize the federal government.

Johns Hopkins University announced Thursday that it will be cutting more than 2,000 jobs after it lost $800 million in funding from the US Agency for International Development amid the Trump administration’s effort to significantly downsize the federal government. The bulk of the layoffs at the top research university will impact its international employees. 1,975 employees across 44 countries have been cut, the university said in a statement, with another 247 jobs terminated in the US. Roughly 100 additional workers will be furloughed with reduced schedules. “This is a difficult day for our entire community. The termination of more than $800 million in USAID funding is now forcing us to wind down critical work here in Baltimore and internationally,” the Maryland-based university said, adding that it was proud of the work its employees have done “to care for mothers and infants, fight disease, provide clean drinking water, and advance countless other critical, life-saving efforts around the world.” The job cuts are “the largest layoffs in the university’s history,” according to a Hopkins spokesperson, spanning its schools of medicine and public health, its Center for Communication Programs – which leads the university’s messaging around public health – and Jhpiego, an affiliated nonprofit that focuses on maternal health and disease prevention. The employees whose jobs were cut will receive at least a 60-day notice before their layoff takes effect. Thursday’s layoffs come as President Donald Trump is continuing his efforts to reshape the federal government, which includes gutting USAID. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced earlier this week that the Trump administration is canceling 83% of programs at the agency and intends to fold its remaining programs under the State Department.