56 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL On the flight itself, people pulled together. Adults who were not parents circulated through the cabin entertaining the small children of their tired colleagues. Older children built blanket forts in the empty seats. Amid everything—the shock, the grief, the uncertainty about what waited on the other end—the people on that aircraft supported one another. State Department personnel were met on arrival at Dulles, assisted with temporary housing and other needs. The system, though imperfect, functioned. People were seen and cared for. e But for USAID staff, the arrival in the United States marked the beginning of a second ordeal. Stepping off the plane on a Friday evening, USAID employees were met by a few Africa Bureau professional staff—but in an informal capacity. With talk of reductions in force (RIFs) widespread, it was unclear if USAID would support the evacuees at all. The first blow: Staff who were hoping to move on to safe havens elsewhere in the United States were told they would be required to stay in or near Washington, D.C., under newly imposed rules prohibiting telework. Over the next few days, with hostility radiating from USAID HQ at the Ronald Reagan Building, staff scrambled to find and sign leases for expensive D.C.-area housing. They had no choice and no time; it was winter and shelter was critical. That Sunday night, just before the start of the workweek, an email arrived instructing USAID employees that the Reagan Building was closed and that no one would be allowed to enter. The email was unsigned. No explanation was offered. Far from embassy security services, in a city with impassable roads, they called their children inside and secured their doors, waiting for instructions.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODIyMDU=