Midnight Lockout: The Trump Decision That Left Hundreds Of USAID Employees Banned From Headquarters

According to the Daily Mail, USAID staff received an email that might as well have been written in neon lights:

“At the direction of Agency leadership, the USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C. will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, February 3, 2025,” the email declared.

The message went on to inform the bewildered workforce that they would be “working remotely.” Only those lucky souls responsible for “essential on-site and building maintenance duties” were allowed to grace the halls of the now-deserted headquarters.

At least 600 staffers found themselves locked out overnight. That’s right, folks – 600 people suddenly found themselves with an unexpected staycation. Out of the 10,000+ employees on USAID’s payroll, one has to wonder how many are now furiously updating their LinkedIn profiles.

The official USAID website and all its associated web pages have vanished into the ether. Trying to access them now results in a browser error message that might as well say, “Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.”

This sudden closure comes hot on the heels of a statement by Elon Musk. During an audio appearance on X (formerly known as Twitter, for those who’ve been living under a rock), Musk declared that USAID was beyond saving:

“It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm it in,” Musk remarked. “What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.”

“We’re shutting it down,” he added.

So there you have it, folks. The Trump administration has decided that the best way to deal with USAID is to treat it like that suspicious leftover in the back of your fridge – when in doubt, throw it out.

In the meantime, if you see a group of confused-looking government employees wandering the streets of D.C., be kind – they might be former USAID staff trying to figure out what just happened.