New Delhi:
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) staff will be “escorted” to their workstations and given “15 minutes” to retrieve personal belongings from their Washington DC headquarter later this week.
On its website, the agency published the “specific instructions” that former employees must adhere to reclaim personal belongings from the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown Washington, DC.
The notice, posted on Tuesday, said, “This Thursday and Friday ONLY-on February 27 and 28, 2025 -USAID staff will have one opportunity to retrieve their personal belongings,” ABC reported.
The notice added that the former employees will be given “approximately 15 minutes” to complete the procedure and that they must finish removing objects “within their time slot only.”
According to the agency, former workers risk having their possessions stored in a government warehouse and perhaps being damaged or misplaced if they fail to show up during designated timeslots or assign a staff member to pick them up.
“All staff and their property will undergo magnetometer and x-ray machine screening upon entry,” according to the notice.
“Staff will then be escorted to their workspace, where they will be permitted to collect their personal items,” it added.
USAID cautioned former employees not to bring “prohibited items,” such as guns, to the pickup, noting that “security guards or members of law enforcement” would be present.
The agency further informed that employees were only allowed to take personal belongings, adding they weren’t allowed to “retrieve or remove any US government created documents, supplies, or other items that are property of the US government.”
“Staff MUST bring their own boxes, bags, tape, and/or other containers to remove their personal items; these items will not be provided,” USAID added.
President Donald Trump’s administration has attempted to shut down USAID, claiming it has squandered public funds.
On Sunday, the Trump administration eliminated at least 1,600 USAID positions in the United States and placed all personnel, except leaders and critical staff around the world, on paid administrative leave.
All direct hire personnel except essential workers, will be put on leave, the agency said on its website, adding it was also “beginning to implement a Reduction-in-Force”.
An earlier notice sent to staff said about 2,000 US positions would be eliminated, Reuters reported.