Shredding Documents And Burning Bags: USAID Employees Receive Surprising DirectiveMariane Angela
News Reporter
March 11, 2025 8:08 PM ET
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) reportedly initiated a document destruction process as part of broader administrative measures for President Donald Trump’s plans to reorganize the federal agency.
An email from Erica Carr, USAID’s acting executive secretary, directs Washington staff to shred and burn various documents, a standard procedure in certain operational contexts. The email was recently disclosed by NBC News. Carr’s instructions told staff to prioritize shredding documents, with burning reserved as a secondary measure when necessary.
“Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,” Carr wrote, NBC News reported.
Plaintiffs headed by the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to stop the shredding of the documents.
“Defendants are, as this motion is being filed, destroying documents with potential pertinence to this litigation,” the motion said. “Although Plaintiffs do not know at this moment which records are being destroyed, the destruction of records may severely undermine the agency’s ability to function. For example, destruction of records that contain information about the agency’s operations may make it extraordinarily difficult— if not impossible—to recreate and rebuild agency programming if their lawsuit is successful.”
The Trump administration said that all documents designated for destruction are obsolete and have been thoroughly digitized, aligning with the Federal Records Act of 1950. The space being cleared is reportedly to accommodate new operations by Customs and Border Patrol, with officials saying that no documents pertinent to ongoing legal matters are involved.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who is overseeing the case, delayed his decision on the motion. He mandated that both parties submit a status report by Wednesday morning and outline a proposed timeline for moving forward.
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https://dailycaller.com/2025/03/11/usaid-shredding-burning-documents/