Letter to Acting Archivist Rubio Regarding Orders to Shred or Burn USAID Documents

American Oversight’s letter to NARA in response to reports that U.S. Agency for International Development staff were ordered to begin shredding classified and personnel documents. According to reporting, staff were instructed to “Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break.”

In February 2025 American Oversight sent letters to the agency, Archivist Rubio, and the National Archives demanding they take action to recover unlawfully removed records and prevent further destruction, but did not receive any acknowledgment.