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.”