Washington—Employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development have been instructed to empty classified safes and personnel files from the Ronald Reagan Building, where the agency is located, and to either shred or burn these records, according to screenshots of an email sent to USAID staff and obtained by CBS News.
USAID personnel received a directive from USAID acting executive secretary Erica Carr to commence clearing out classified safes and personnel documents starting at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The instruction regarding the shredding of sensitive documents was originally reported by ProPublica.
“Prioritize shredding as many documents as possible, and use the burn bags only if the shredder is unavailable or needs maintenance,” the email states. When utilizing the burn bags, staff are advised not to overfill them and to make sure they can be securely closed with staples at the top. The only labeling needed on the burn bags is the words ‘SECRET’ and ‘USAID/(B/IO)’ in dark Sharpie if feasible. If additional burn bags or Sharpie markers are needed, please contact me or the SEC InfoSec team,” the email continues.
The documents slated for destruction could potentially serve as evidence in various court cases involving the Trump administration and the government aid agency, according to a source familiar with the record-handling instructions told CBS News.
On the same day, USAID staff received another email around midday, instructing them to visit the USAID annex offices in Washington this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to collect personal belongings. The email, acquired by CBS News, states, “Staff will have 15 minutes to gather their items and must complete the removal within their designated time slot.” This email appears to contradict the earlier communication regarding record handling.
“While retrieving their belongings, staff must ensure adherence to proper records management practices when identifying and/or disposing of records, in accordance with the Federal Records Act and ADS 502,” the email specifies.
On Tuesday, Democracy Forward and Public Citizen Litigation Group filed a motion for an emergency temporary restraining order to prevent what they referred to as the unlawful destruction of federal records at USAID.
The State Department has yet to respond to CBS News’ inquiries regarding either the email or the list of USAID grants that have been terminated. On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio tweeted from his personal X account confirming the cancellation of 83% of USAID programs.
In response to a question from CBS regarding the availability of the full list of terminated grants to the public during last week’s State Department press briefing, spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated she did not have an answer at that time. She noted, “It’s essential, as many Americans have inquiries about the specifics of the ongoing situation.”
