WASHINGTON — A senior official at the main U.S. aid agency, which is being dismantled by the Trump administration, told employees to clear safes holding classified documents and personnel files by shredding the papers or putting them into bags for burning, according to an email sent to the staff.
The email sent by Erica Y. Carr, the acting executive secretary, told employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development to empty out the classified safe and personnel document files on Tuesday. “Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,” Carr wrote, according to a copy of the email obtained by The New York Times.
The agency has fired thousands of employees, put some on paid leave and asked a few to work from home, so the headquarters have been mostly empty for weeks.
It is unclear whether Carr or any other official at USAID got permission from the National Archives and Records Administration to destroy the documents. The Federal Records Act of 1950 requires U.S. government officials to ask the records administration for approval before destroying documents.
The documents being destroyed could have relevance to multiple court cases that have been filed against the Trump administration and the aid agency over the mass firing and sudden relocation of employees, the rapid dismantlement of the agency and a freeze on almost all foreign aid money.
The State Department and a spokesperson for USAID did not respond to requests for comment.
The American Foreign Service Association, a union representing career diplomats that is a plaintiff in a lawsuit, said in a statement Tuesday that it was “alarmed by reports that USAID has directed the destruction of classified and sensitive documents that may be relevant to ongoing litigation regarding the termination of USAID employees and the cessation of USAID grants.”
“Federal law is clear: The preservation of government records is essential to transparency, accountability and the integrity of the legal process,” the union said. “We call for full adherence to federal records preservation laws to ensure accountability and protect the rights of USAID employees.”
The union also noted that employees engaged in the improper destruction of records could find themselves in legal jeopardy.
The aid agency employs nearly 2,000 career diplomats, known as Foreign Service officers, and they are represented by the union. Diplomats generally destroy large numbers of documents only when an embassy or other post is about to be overrun by a hostile force. Some diplomats who got Carr’s email Monday night called union officials after becoming anxious over the sudden request.
The Federal Records Act says that “agencies must follow retention schedules approved by” the records agency and covers all electronic documents as well. Printed documents must be saved in an electronic format before being destroyed, and the act says that “agencies must manage electronic records effectively, ensuring accessibility and security.”
In some federal agencies, employees regularly destroy physical documents after saving them in electronic form. It is unclear whether employees at USAID have ensured that all physical documents are being saved electronically before being destroyed.
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