Amid the ongoing dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), employees were instructed to shred and burn classified documents and personnel files. The directive, sent via email by Acting Executive Secretary Erica Y. Carr, instructed staff to dispose of sensitive materials in Washington, D.C. offices. The event was organized for an all-day disposal process, with staff told to shred documents first and burn the rest once the shredder was unavailable.
The move alarmed employees and labor unions, especially as USAID faces legal challenges for its reorganization under the Trump administration. Critics, including the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), raised concerns about the legality of destroying government records, which are vital for transparency and legal processes. The email’s lack of formal details raised further alarms, as federal law mandates the preservation of certain documents.
USAID, a major target of the Trump administration’s efficiency drive, has been subjected to massive layoffs, budget freezes, and cuts to international aid programs. Staff, many of whom remain on administrative leave, face an uncertain future, as the agency continues to shrink under the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency.
