Washington DC—The Federal workers illegally fired and unconstitutionally shutout of the work spaces of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were given a warm send off by colleagues, family members, and the public on Thursday. The sidewalk outside the main entrance was adorned with flowers, supporting messages on signs, gifts, bags of treats and food, and most importantly the warm embrace of hundreds who cheered their decades’ of public service as they left their offices at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Building for the last time.
The public gathered early on Thursday outside the USAID offices after a message was issued Monday outlining clear-out procedures to USAID Federal workers. Workers were instructed to go to their offices at specific times based on their bureau and floor and would be given 15 minutes to clear their belongings from their desks. The clear-out orders included an exhaustive list of prohibited weapons they were not permitted to take into their offices. Federal workers are already aware of workplace restrictions with regard to weapons so this portion of the order could be seen as another degree of humiliation from a regime already demonstrating itself hostile towards public servants.
Many of the workers were overcome with emotion as they walked out the doors with the few office mementos they had retrieved and into the arms and accolades of cheering admirers. It was the first opportunity they had been given to retrieve their office belongings since they were first locked out on Monday, February 3.
But if one small symbolic gesture could be seen as a revolutionary act then this was it. The hundreds of supporters demonstrated that even in a moment national disgrace there could be poise and grace in showing up for those that were suffering injustice and maltreatment.
The USAID takeover and shutdown was part of a larger takeover and shutdown of agencies all across the Federal Government. Over a dozen agencies have already been taken over with tens of thousands of Federal workers fired or barred from their offices. The Federal workers of these agencies are also suffering through sudden economic hardship as their jobs, salaries, healthcare, and livelihoods are taken from them without due process.
Carol Bannerman, a citizen who came out in support of the USAID Federal workers said that the shutdown of USAID will have far reaching consequences not only from the standpoint of the Federal workers harmed, and the services many millions depended on abroad, but also by the harm it will do to the reputation of the United States abroad.
“USAID provided soft power around the world which made people want to be like us. It served the most vulnerable people around the world. Soft power is just one element. Yes we use military power and yes we use economic power but soft power is a way of making people join us and it has the same role as military power,” Bannerman said.
Bannerman outlined some of the many ways USAID assistance helped developing nations and millions globally, from food and health assistance to assistance for women’s entrepreneurship and family health programs. These were a few of the programs being authorized from USAID before tens of thousands of employees and contractors working in developing countries were fired in late January.
A USAID Federal worker who has not been barred from their office spoke anonymously to DCMG about the current status of USAID Federal workers. “Right now at USAID many are still employed but have been placed on administrative leave. So we are still getting paychecks but are not allowed to go into the offices,” they said.
“We value your work and respect the contributions you have made to the betterment of humanity, and we see you,” they said.
