By — Laura Barrón-López Laura Barrón-López By — Shyla Duff Shyla Duff By — Steff Staples Steff Staples Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/usaid-signs-covered-with-black-tape-or-removed-at-washington-headquarters Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter PHOTOS: USAID signs covered with black tape or removed at Washington headquarters Nation Feb 7, 2025 4:19 PM EDT Signs identifying the headquarters of USAID have been removed or covered over with black tape in Washington, D.C., just blocks from the White House. The agency’s headquarters, located in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building, has been closed since Monday following the Trump administration’s pause on all international aid activity. The full staff of the agency were notified they’d be put on administrative leave as of the end of the day Friday. A U.S. judge scheduled a hearing for Friday to consider temporarily blocking President Donald Trump from dismantling USAID. Federal workers associations filed a lawsuit Thursday arguing Trump doesn’t have the authority to shut down the agency. READ MORE: Thousands begin forced leave at USAID under Trump’s plan to gut the agency A witness to the sign removal shared photos with PBS News White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López. A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images Follow Laura Barrón-López (X, Bluesky, Instagram) and the full PBS News team for the latest developments as the Trump Administration works to reshape the federal government. More coverage of USAID and the funding freeze affecting global foreign aid efforts Former USAID administrator describes global impact of agency’s ‘destruction’ GOP Sen. Johnson says Musk’s dismantling of USAID is ‘just the tip of the iceberg’ ‘This work needs to continue’: Sen. Coons says USAID helps keep America safe The potential national and global impact of USAID’s closure WATCH: USAID ‘attitude’ not aligned with U.S. national interest, Rubio says A pile of building letters are seen after a worker removed the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images Tributes are placed beneath the covered seal of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) at their headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2025. Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images If you’re a current or former career civil service employee in the federal government, we’d like to hear from you. Specifically, we’re looking to speak with government tech workers and people from the General Services Administration, Office of Personnel Management, Department of the Treasury or the Federal Reserve System. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact Laura securely at LBarron07.01 on Signal. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Laura Barrón-López Laura Barrón-López Laura Barrón-López is the White House Correspondent for the PBS News Hour, where she covers the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration for the nightly news broadcast. She is also a CNN political analyst. By — Shyla Duff Shyla Duff By — Steff Staples Steff Staples
Signs identifying the headquarters of USAID have been removed or covered over with black tape in Washington, D.C., just blocks from the White House. The agency’s headquarters, located in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building, has been closed since Monday following the Trump administration’s pause on all international aid activity. The full staff of the agency were notified they’d be put on administrative leave as of the end of the day Friday. A U.S. judge scheduled a hearing for Friday to consider temporarily blocking President Donald Trump from dismantling USAID. Federal workers associations filed a lawsuit Thursday arguing Trump doesn’t have the authority to shut down the agency. READ MORE: Thousands begin forced leave at USAID under Trump’s plan to gut the agency A witness to the sign removal shared photos with PBS News White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López. A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images Follow Laura Barrón-López (X, Bluesky, Instagram) and the full PBS News team for the latest developments as the Trump Administration works to reshape the federal government. More coverage of USAID and the funding freeze affecting global foreign aid efforts Former USAID administrator describes global impact of agency’s ‘destruction’ GOP Sen. Johnson says Musk’s dismantling of USAID is ‘just the tip of the iceberg’ ‘This work needs to continue’: Sen. Coons says USAID helps keep America safe The potential national and global impact of USAID’s closure WATCH: USAID ‘attitude’ not aligned with U.S. national interest, Rubio says A pile of building letters are seen after a worker removed the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images Tributes are placed beneath the covered seal of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) at their headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2025. Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images If you’re a current or former career civil service employee in the federal government, we’d like to hear from you. Specifically, we’re looking to speak with government tech workers and people from the General Services Administration, Office of Personnel Management, Department of the Treasury or the Federal Reserve System. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact Laura securely at LBarron07.01 on Signal. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now