litigation
March 12, 2025

American Oversight v. USAID, NARA and Rubio – Destruction of Records and Violations of FRA, FOIA, APA

Lawsuit filed by American Oversight against the U.S. Agency for International Development, the National Archives and Records Administration, and Marco Rubio in his capacity as acting USAID administrator and acting archivist for violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, the Federal Records Act, and the Freedom of Information Act during the Trump administration's shutdown of USAID.

Statusopen

Lawsuit filed by American Oversight against the U.S. Agency for International Development, the National Archives and Records Administration, and Marco Rubio in his capacity as acting USAID administrator and acting archivist for violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, the Federal Records Act, and the Freedom of Information Act during the Trump administration’s shutdown of USAID.

The lawsuit follows reports that USAID’s acting agency secretary directed staff to “[e]mpty the safes with the classified and personnel records” and [s]hred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break.”

March 11, 2025: Initial complaint
March 12, 2025: Motion for temporary restraining order