Employees of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were ordered to shred and burn classified documents and personal files.
This is reported by the BBC, whose journalists have reviewed the relevant internal correspondence of the agency.
Acting Executive Secretary Erica Carr sent an email thanking staff for clearing out classified safes and personnel files from the Washington office and asking them to gather in the buildingʼs lobby on Tuesday for a day-long recycling event.
“First, shred as many documents as possible, and leave the incineration bags for when the shredder becomes available or needs a break,” her letter to employees said.
Typically, documents placed in incineration bags are sealed and then taken to a safe location for incineration.
It is currently unknown whether the department has retained copies of documents marked for destruction.
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the union representing USAID employees, was aware that employees had been asked to destroy documents, spokeswoman Nikki Gamer told the BBC.
The union said it was "alarmed" by these reports and warned that such documents "may be relevant to ongoing legal proceedings regarding the dismissal of USAID employees and the termination of USAID grants".
Government agencies occasionally destroy paper records of classified materials and other documents, but this process is governed by strict procedures. The Federal Archives Act of 1950 sets out rules for the proper destruction of documents and the creation of backup or archival copies, including electronic records.
The email sent by Carr did not contain any of the details traditionally included in a request for destruction of documents, raising concerns about the procedure, experts told the BBC.
Whatʼs happening with USAID?
USAID is the worldʼs largest donor. In fiscal year 2023, the United States provided $72 billion in assistance worldwide. The agency was founded in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy. It provides billions of dollars each year to end poverty, treat disease, and respond to famine and natural disasters, as well as to build and develop democracy by supporting non-governmental organizations, independent media, and social initiatives.
On January 20, inauguration day, the US President Donald Trump froze USAID initiatives for 90 days. After that, the Agencyʼs employees began to be placed on administrative leave without pay.
Trumpʼs executive order stated that the United Statesʼ foreign aid policies were not in line with American interests and in many cases contradicted American values.
On March 10, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported that the US was officially closing 83% of USAID programs. He explained this by saying that these programs were spending "tens of billions of dollars" and that it was allegedly not beneficial and was harming the States.
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