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Senior officials at USAID were placed on administrative leave after refusing to grant Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees access to classified systems.
Some shit you should know before you read: The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a newly created entity under the Trump administration tasked with streamlining federal agencies and reducing government spending. It is not an independent agency but rather a White House initiative with unclear legal authority, operating outside traditional bureaucratic structures. Elon Musk, appointed by Trump to lead DOGE, has staffed it primarily with individuals who have worked on other projects for his companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and X (formerly Twitter). Unlike established federal agencies with congressional oversight, DOGE operates under the president, often bypassing conventional protocols.

What’s going on now: Over the weekend, USAID Director of Security John Voorhees and his deputy, Brian McGill, were placed on administrative leave after refusing to allow employees from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access classified agency systems. According to multiple news outlets, the DOGE team attempted to gain entry into USAID’s secure databases, which included personnel records, security clearance information, and intelligence reports. When Voorhees and McGill denied them access due to concerns over security clearances, DOGE officials threatened to call US Marshals. Eventually, DOGE personnel were able to enter the systems, though it remains unclear what information they obtained. Their forced removal has sparked fears about the politicization of national security and the potential misuse of classified information.
Democratic lawmakers quickly condemned the move, warning of serious national security risks. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the situation “incredibly serious and unprecedented,” stressing that “individuals without appropriate clearance may have accessed classified USAID spaces as well as American citizens’ personal information.”
A group of Senate Democrats also sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alleging that “security guards present at the facility were threatened when they raised questions” about DOGE’s access.
This all comes as discussions intensify about the possible shutdown of USAID, a move being pushed by Elon Musk and reportedly supported by President Trump. Over the weekend, Musk said on X that USAID was a “criminal organization” and stated that he and Trump were “shutting it down,” though it remains unclear what legal authority the administration has to dissolve a federal agency without congressional approval. Trump has long been critical of USAID, calling it “run by radical lunatics” and pushing to either dismantle or absorb it into the State Department, a move legal experts argue would violate the agency’s congressional mandate.