In a statement, the university acknowledged the severity of the situation: “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.”
Baltimore-based research university Johns Hopkins University is set to lay off more than 2,000 employees after the Trump administration withdrew $800 million in federal funding. The university called the cuts the most significant in its history, affecting both domestic and international staff.
Of the layoffs, 247 positions will be eliminated in the US, while 1,975 jobs across 44 countries will also be cut. The reductions will impact key departments, including the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the School of Medicine, and Jhpiego, a nonprofit health organisation affiliated with Johns Hopkins.
In a statement, the university acknowledged the severity of the situation: “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 cuts are part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to overhaul the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, over 80% of USAID programs have been canceled following a six-week review by the administration.
At the same time, the Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of American universities, launching investigations into 60 institutions, including Johns Hopkins, over pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations. Officials claim these protests promote antisemitism, while activists insist they are protesting US support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The federal crackdown has already led to the termination of $400 million in grants and contracts at Columbia University. Additionally, the administration is pursuing the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student who played a prominent role in protests at Columbia.
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