USAID Security Officials Placed on Leave After Dispute Over Access to Classified Systems
DOGE employees sought access to sensitive USAID files, including personnel and security data, sparking a security standoff.
WASHINGTON D.C. — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has placed its Director of Security, John Voorhees, and his deputy, Brian McGill, on administrative leave after a clash with employees from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over access to classified systems, sources familiar with the situation told NBC News on Saturday.
The DOGE team, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, attempted to access several secure USAID systems, including personnel files, security information, and classified data requiring higher security clearances. According to multiple sources, these systems also included sensitive security clearance details for USAID staff.
Katie Miller, a former Trump administration official now working with DOGE, defended the actions, claiming no classified material was accessed without the proper clearances. “No classified material was accessed without proper security clearances,” Miller wrote Sunday on X (formerly Twitter).
Tensions escalated when USAID security leaders, Voorhees and McGill, refused to grant the DOGE team access to these classified systems. DOGE employees reportedly threatened to involve U.S. Marshals to gain entry. Eventually, the team was able to access the systems, but it remains unclear exactly what information they were able to obtain.
Musk, the head of DOGE, took to X to voice his frustrations, calling for USAID to "die" and accusing the agency of being a “criminal organization,” though he provided no evidence to support these claims. Former President Donald Trump also weighed in, offering support for Musk, stating that the USAID leadership was "run by a bunch of radical lunatics" and should be removed.
Democratic leaders quickly condemned the actions, calling the incident a national security threat. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) expressed concerns about the potential breach of classified information and personal data of American citizens. “This is incredibly serious and unprecedented,” Shaheen said in a statement, demanding answers regarding the security implications.
A letter from Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations also raised alarms, claiming that security personnel at USAID had been threatened when questioning the DOGE workers' access to sensitive systems.
In response to the ongoing tensions, Trump administration officials have reportedly been discussing the possibility of placing USAID under the jurisdiction of the State Department. However, Democratic lawmakers have raised legal concerns, arguing that such a move would violate a law established by Congress that created USAID.
The controversy has led to further instability at USAID, which has already seen significant staff reductions. More than 1,000 employees and contractors have been fired or furloughed, including personnel from the Bureau of Global Health and the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, as a result of a recent freeze on U.S. global aid implemented by the Trump administration.
USAID's official website, USAID.gov, went offline on Saturday and remained down through Sunday evening, though a backup page hosted on state.gov remains active.
Amid this turmoil, USAID employees have reported feeling unsafe, with some describing the agency’s headquarters, the Ronald Reagan Building, as a place no one wants to approach. "We just had Elon Musk call us a criminal organization. Our security chief was escorted out. We know we are being surveilled by DOGE,” one USAID official said.
The situation continues to develop, with lawmakers and agencies scrambling to assess the full implications of this unprecedented clash between the U.S. government and a private entity.