BBC: USAID employees have been ordered to burn personal files and classified documents. What is the reason for this?
12 March 2025 14:55
Employees of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have been ordered to destroy classified documents and personal files.
This was reported by the BBC, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Acting USAID Executive Secretary Erica Carr thanked the staff for cleaning the safes with classified materials and announced the organization of a special event for the disposal of documents in an official letter.
“First, shred as many documents as possible, and leave the incineration bags for when the shredder becomes available or needs a break,” the letter says.
According to the BBC, such documents are usually burned in special centers in compliance with security procedures. However, the letter did not specify whether copies of the documents had been made beforehand.
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), which represents the interests of USAID employees, expressed concern about the order. The union said that these documents could be important for lawsuits related to the dismissal of employees and the termination of funding for the agency.
“Illegal destruction of federal records could lead to serious legal consequences for anyone who violates the law,” the union said.
The lawyers also emphasize that the Federal Records Act (1950) provides clear rules for the destruction of documents, including the creation of backup copies and keeping records of destroyed materials. However, Carr’s letter contained no such details.
What about USAID?
US President Donald Trump has decided to suspend all US foreign aid for 90 days. The decision, in particular, concerns economic and humanitarian development programs and projects implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Trump’s decree stated that the directions of US foreign aid do not meet American interests and in many cases contradict American values.
Subsequently, USAID came under the control of the US State Department. Then businessman Elon Musk, whom Trump appointed as head of the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), said he was working to close the agency, which he called a “criminal organization” that “needs to die.”
on March 10, it became known that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the cancellation of 83% of USAID programs after a 6-week review. According to him, tens of billions of dollars were spent to fund these programs “in a way that did not meet (and in some cases even harmed) the core national interests of the United States.”
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised that some of the suspended US support programs would be funded by public funds. And the Verkhovna Rada proposed replacing American aid with European aid.
