Source: USAID preparing to transfer systems to State Department amid downsizing
Technical systems housed within USAID may be transferred to the State Department, including those related to global health, a source familiar with the matter told FedScoop, with about 40 systems potentially impacted by the transition.
The USAID.gov website has now been updated to note the long-anticipated reduction in force at the agency, noting that approximately 1,600 personnel are now on administrative leave. As of Friday, the website was offline.
A small group within the agency seems to be involved in discussions related to transferring technical assets to the State Department, the source said. Some of those systems might end up on OpenNet, a global network State uses for data applications.
A platform called AIDNet may also be shut down, the source added. A privacy impact assessment for the system explains that the platform is a data and file storage system for the agency.
A system that supports the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which USAID has historically helped implement, may also be impacted. Some of the programs under PEPFAR recently received approval to continue work, Devex reported.
The impending systems transfers are the latest IT-related changes at USAID amid the Trump administration’s rapid downsizing of the agency. Earlier this month, some USAID employees saw their technology systems shut down, and those who remain at the agency reported last week that their communications now include a “Sensitive But Unclassified” label that they cannot remove. Access to payments systems has also been limited.
