Johns Hopkins University to Lay Off More Than 2,000 Workers After Losing $800 Million in USAID Funding

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.

The Johns Hopkins University said on Thursday it will slash over 2,000 jobs in the U.S. and abroad after the administration of President Donald Trump terminated $800 million in grants to the renowned academic institution. It marked the biggest layoff in the university's history and involved 247 domestic U.S. workers for the academic institution and another 1,975 positions outside the U.S. in 44 countries. The job cuts impact the university's Bloomberg School of Public Health, its medical school and affiliated non-profit for international health, Jhpiego. "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 university said in a statement shared with media.

The university, one of the nation's leading research centers that relies heavily on federal funding, was hit hard by losing $800 million in federal grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Trump administration is attempting to dismantle USAID after last month exposing the agency was rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. "This is a difficult day for our entire community," the university, which has a $13.06 billion endowment, said in a statement. "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 Trump administration also might strip funding disbursed by the National Institutes of Health.