A senior USAID official instructed the agency's remaining staff to gather at its former headquarters in Washington on Tuesday for a full-day effort to destroy documents stored there. According to a report by Politico, many of these documents contain sensitive information.

According to Politico, which cited an email from USAID's acting executive director, Erica Carr, the materials designated for destruction include the agency's "classified safes and personnel documents" at the Ronald Reagan Building. "Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break," the email reads. The report states that Carr instructed employees to mark the burn bags with "SECRET" and "USAID/B/IO/" (which stands for "bureau or independent office") using a dark Sharpie.

The email did not explain why the document was destroyed. The building is being vacated following mass layoffs, which may have affected the usual schedule for document disposal. In February, Customs and Border Protection plans to move into the USAID facility, renting 390,000 square feet of office space. The Trump administration's efforts to restructure USAID, which once had a $40 billion annual budget and over 10,000 employees worldwide, have been marked by controversy. According to reports, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) attempted to access USAID's secure computer systems, sparking a backlash within the agency. This led to two USAID security staff members being placed on administrative leave. A DOGE spokesperson later clarified that no classified material had been improperly accessed.

A former USAID employee has verified the authenticity of the email and described the destruction of agency documents as unprecedented, according to Politico. A former staffer, on condition of anonymity, said, "I've never seen something like this -- en masse. Everyone with a safe is supposed to keep it up to date and destroy documents when they no longer need to be stored. Sometimes security will check your safe and tell you if you have to clean out old material." The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been significantly impacted by the visions of former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, head of DOGE, who aim to reduce the federal workforce. As a result, most USAID employees have either been laid off or placed on administrative leave. According to a report by Politico, USAID staff are challenging these changes in court, with mixed results.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that more than 80 percent of USAID's programs have been cancelled, with the remaining ones now being managed by the US State Department.