In an unceremonious, impersonal end to what for some has been decades-long careers of civil service, staff members of the United States Agency for International Development were told they would have 15 minutes to gather their belongings from the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.
They were told to bring their own boxes and tape and that they won’t be reimbursed for their transport to the headquarters or parking costs.
“It’s going to be emotional,” one USAID staff member told Devex. “Fifteen minutes is nowhere near enough time to pack up over a decade with the agency, never mind to shred and destroy documents, as needed. It’s, of course, part of the mental game of telling us that USAID is dead.”
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About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
