USAID Orders Mass Document Shredding Amid Agency Dismantling

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MAR 12

Above: A covering where the US Agency for International Development (USAID) signage used to be at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., US, on Monday, March 10, 2025. Image copyright: Kent Nishimura/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images

story last updated MAR 12

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

This order marks a routine document curation process, not a scandal. As USAID shuts down, staff with proper clearance are simply shredding old, mostly courtesy records — still preserved digitally — per standard protocol. Hysteria over this ignores the reality that it's a practical step amid a planned overhaul, as Customs prepares to take over the building. This is what government efficiency looks like, and the unions' concerns are blown way out of proportion.

FOX News New York Post

Establishment-critical narrative

Erica Carr's abrupt order to shred classified records and personnel files blatantly violates the Federal Records Act, which mandates retention for transparency and legal accountability. This rushed destruction — employing shredders and burn bags — threatens evidence in ongoing lawsuits and FOIA requests. Carr's lack of an X account adds an additional layer of suspicion to this move, as it shields her from public scrutiny while she oversees this illegal purge.

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