A small independent international aid agency on Thursday was waiting to see whether staffers from billionaire mogul Elon Musk’s government advisory body would return to fire more than two dozen employees, after a standoff took place Wednesday when Musk’s associates attempted to gain access to the agency’s offices.
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Employees of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has swept through numerous government agencies in recent weeks to seize data and dismantle their operations, arrived at about 11:30 am at the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF), which works with farmers and field staff in Africa to promote economic development.
A security guard told about 30 USADF employees that two “very young men” wearing backpacks had arrived claiming to be agency staffers, though they didn’t have key cards. The men were accompanied by Pete Marocco, director of the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance.
The USADF staffers told the security officer to refuse entry to the men, with one official telling The Washington Post that the guard’s description matched that of DOGE employees who had visited the agency earlier.
