THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL-MAY 2025 11 TALKING POINTS Dismantling of USAID The dismantling of USAID began shortly after the new administration took office and froze foreign assistance program funding by executive order on Jan. 20 (“Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid”). On Feb. 27 and 28, USAID employees in Washington, D.C., were given 15 minutes each to clear out their offices at the Ronald Reagan Building. Hundreds of supporters showed up to clap them out, holding signs and distributing hugs and food as the staff exited. U.S. and international journalists from as far away as Japan covered the event. On March 12, 13, and 14, USAID employees at the annexes were also given 15 minutes to collect belongings and evacuate their offices. The acting assistant administrator for global health at USAID, Nicholas Enrich, was fired on March 2 after drafting a series of memos outlining how cuts to USAID’s programs “will lead to increased death and disability, accelerate global disease spread, contribute to destabilizing fragile regions, and heightened security risks—directly endangering American national security, economic stability, and public health.” On March 10, Judge Amir H. Ali of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia barred the Trump administration from “unlawfully impounding congressionally appropriated foreign aid funds” that the State Department and USAID owed to grant recipients and contractors, requiring it to pay for work completed before Feb. 13. Also on March 10, Democracy Forward and Public Citizen Litigation Group filed a motion for summary relief on behalf of AFSA, AFGE, and Oxfam America to block the Trump administration from dismantling USAID. They wrote that the administration has “shuttered life-saving projects On March 10, remaining USAID employees were instructed via email by Acting Executive Secretary of USAID Erica Y. Carr to report to the Ronald Reagan Building on March 11 to clear out classified safes and personnel documents. They were to “shred as many documents first and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break.” AFSA noted in its March 11 press release that it is illegal to destroy government documents, as the Federal Records Act of 1950 established strict requirements for the retention of official records, particularly those that may be relevant to legal proceedings. An emergency motion for a temporary restraining order was granted by the D.C. Circuit Court. In court filings, USAID leadership denied violating any laws and pledged that no additional documents at RRB would be destroyed without notifying AFSA counsel. We will continue to update this story in future editions. People carrying signs turned out in force at USAID HQ on Feb. 27 and 28 to show support for USAID staff given just 15 minutes to gather their belongings and leave the building. AFSA funded and developed by the agency, leaving people to suffer and to die by the thousands. They have halted disease surveillance efforts, leaving Americans vulnerable to dangerous pathogens. … These actions have had untold costs, for the United States and for the world. These actions are also unlawful.” Also on March 10, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “After a 6 week review we are officially cancelling 83 percent of the programs at USAID. The 5,200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States. In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18 percent [sic] of programs we are keeping (approximately 1,000) to now be administered more effectively under the State Department. Thank you to DOGE and our hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform.” Along with the termination of assistance projects is the news that the Payne Fellowship program has been canceled. This competitive merit-based program was a recruitment tool for bringing outstanding candidates to the USAID Foreign Service, supporting fellows through graduate school and internships.
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