USAID Staff Ordered to Destroy Records Amid Cuts

A top official at the U.S. Agency for International Development has directed remaining employees to shred and burn all documents including classified materials prompting alarm over legality and transparency. This order comes as the Trump administration slashes 83 percent of USAID programs leaving the agency gutted and its workforce reduced to a skeleton crew. The directive issued by Acting Executive Secretary Erica Carr has sparked immediate legal challenges from unions and experts who fear critical evidence is being destroyed.

The email from Carr instructed staff to gather at the agency’s former Washington D.C. headquarters for an all-day effort to clear out classified safes and personnel files. She advised shredding as much as possible and using burn bags labeled SECRET when shredders fail or need rest. This drastic measure follows mass layoffs and the cancellation of most humanitarian initiatives raising questions about the fate of decades of aid records.

Critics argue this move violates the Federal Records Act which mandates agencies consult the National Archives before destroying documents. National security attorney Kel McClanahan has filed a complaint alleging the shredding is an illegal attempt to erase evidence of wrongdoing. The American Foreign Service Association echoed these concerns noting the destroyed records might be vital to ongoing lawsuits against the administration.

The Trump administration’s push to dismantle USAID has been swift and aggressive with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing the program cuts on March 10 2025. Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has played a key role in this overhaul framing it as cost-cutting for taxpayers. However supporters of USAID warn that shredding its history undermines America’s global influence built through years of aid work.

Reports indicate the document purge began Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. with staff instructed to label burn bags clearly to ensure proper disposal. A former USAID official told reporters they had never witnessed such a sweeping destruction order in their tenure. This unprecedented action has fueled speculation that the administration seeks to hide details of its rapid dismantling of the agency.

Legal challenges are mounting as unions representing USAID workers have asked a federal judge to halt the destruction pending review. Judge Carl Nichols has set a deadline of Wednesday morning for both sides to submit arguments on the matter. The outcome could determine whether any records survive to shed light on the agency’s final days under Trump’s policies.

Lawmakers like Rep. Gregory Meeks have condemned the shredding as a blatant attempt to cover up illegal actions during USAID’s dissolution. They argue that personnel files and classified materials could reveal how decisions were made to terminate staff and programs. Without these records accountability becomes nearly impossible deepening public distrust in the process.

The broader implications of this order extend beyond USAID as advocates for government transparency warn of a chilling precedent. If federal agencies can destroy records unchecked during restructuring it could erode democratic oversight nationwide. As the shredders hum and burn bags fill the fight to preserve USAID’s legacy hangs in the balance awaiting judicial intervention.