USAID Staff Instructed to Stay Out of Office as Elon Musk Pushes for Agency Shutdown

According to reports, over 600 employees received a reported system lockout of their computers overnight, with many unable to access their workstations. Employees still logged in received an email that, "at the direction of Agency leadership," the headquarters building would be closed to all personnel on February 3.

USAID employees were on Monday told to avoid the headquarters of the agency in Washington amid a directive that came after the declaration by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk to shut the agency.

According to reports, over 600 employees received a reported system lockout of their computers overnight, with many unable to access their workstations. Employees still logged in received an email that, "at the direction of Agency leadership," the headquarters building would be closed to all personnel on February 3.

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They were asked to work remotely, except for the employees performing "essential on-site and building maintenance functions." Those employees were reached directly by senior leadership, according to ABC News.

The closure came after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-chair Elon Musk announced that USAID should be shut down, as he agreed with President of the United States Donald Trump to his proposal early Monday.

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During a live session on X (formerly Twitter), Musk spoke about his frustrations with the agency, stating: "It becomes clear that it's not an apple with a worm in it. What we have is just a ball of worms. You've got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It's beyond repair."

Two government employees reportedly were denied access to the USAID building Monday. Later that morning, uniformed Department of Homeland Security officers were seen standing in the lobby of the USAID headquarters, marking it with yellow caution tape that read "Do not cross."

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