Fired U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees face a tight 15-minute window to gather their personal belongings from the agency’s stripped-down headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Building. Security will escort the former staffers to their desks during assigned timeslots on Thursday and Friday.
USAID posted detailed instructions on its website Tuesday, outlining the retrieval process for ex-employees. “All staff and their property will undergo magnetometer and x-ray machine screening upon entry,” the notice stated. “Staff will then be escorted to their workspace, where they will be permitted to collect their personal items.”
The agency emphasized that staff must finish within their allotted 15-minute slot, though some flexibility may be allowed with approval from the Office of Security for those with substantial belongings. USAID warned that security guards or law enforcement would be on-site, and prohibited items like weapons are not allowed.
“Staff MUST bring their own boxes, bags, tape, and/or other containers to remove their personal items; these items will not be provided,” USAID instructed, adding that only personal effects, not government property or documents, can be removed.
Former employees who miss their timeslot or fail to designate a colleague to collect their items will have their belongings packed by the General Services Administration (GSA) and stored in a warehouse. “GSA cannot guarantee that personal items not claimed during this time will be free from damage or loss, but will take all precautionary measures to safeguard items,” the agency noted.
The purge follows last week’s scenes of ex-USAID staffers clearing out another agency office in Washington. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has targeted USAID for closure, alleging it squandered taxpayer funds.
