On March 11, a court filing revealed that USAID staff were ordered to destroy records, prompting significant concern from employee unions. According to the filing, an email from USAID Acting Executive Secretary Erica Carr instructed employees to report to the agency’s Washington, D.C. office to clear out “classified safes and personnel documents.” The email, as reported by multiple sources, directed staff to “shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break.” This directive has been interpreted by unions as suggesting a large-scale destruction of agency records, raising alarms about potential violations of federal record-keeping laws, specifically the Federal Records Act, which mandates the preservation of government records unless properly authorized for disposal by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
The unions, including the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and the American Federation of Government Employees, alongside Oxfam America, filed an emergency motion in a Washington, D.C. federal court to block this action. They argue that the destruction could eliminate evidence critical to ongoing litigation challenging the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID, which has seen over 80% of its programs terminated and significant staff reductions since early 2025. The unions contend that losing these records could hinder efforts to restore the agency if their lawsuit succeeds.
In response, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly dismissed the concerns as “fake news hysteria” on X, claiming the order affected only about three dozen employees and involved “old, mostly courtesy content” with originals preserved on classified systems. However, critics, including legal experts and former USAID officials, question the timing and scope of the directive, noting it coincides with the agency’s rapid downsizing under the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, led by Elon Musk.
This initiative has targeted USAID for substantial cuts, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating on March 10 that 83% of USAID contracts—approximately 5,200—were canceled for not aligning with U.S. national interests.
The controversy has escalated with legal actions: U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ordered both sides to submit a status report by March 12, 2025, morning, to address the motion. Meanwhile, a separate ruling on March 10 by another federal judge mandated the release of nearly $2 billion in congressionally appropriated foreign aid funds, highlighting ongoing tensions over USAID’s fate.
Critics, including Rep. Gregory Meeks and national security attorney Kel McClanahan, suggest the document destruction might be an attempt to obscure evidence of mismanagement or illegal actions during the agency’s dissolution, though no definitive proof of the documents’ contents has been publicly detailed.
As of today, March 12, 2025, the situation remains fluid, with the court’s next steps likely to clarify whether the destruction violated federal law or was a routine disposal of redundant records, as the administration claims. The broader context reflects a contentious rollback of U.S. foreign aid infrastructure, drawing sharp criticism from those who see it as undermining global stability and transparency.
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