Staffers for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were shut out of the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) headquarters in D.C. on Wednesday, amid an escalating fight over leadership of the agency.
Several DOGE employees attempted to enter the agency’s Washington office on Wednesday but were “unable to access” it, the USADF confirmed to The Hill. Staff members eventually left the building, according to the agency. The Hill contacted DOGE for comment.
Ward Brehm, the agency’s chair, stated in a letter to a DOGE staffer obtained by The Hill that he “specifically instructed the staff of USADF to adhere to our rules and procedures of not allowing any meetings of this type without my presence.”
President Trump is reportedly attempting to appoint Peter Marocco, the deputy acting head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), who has overseen Trump’s efforts to defund the agency, to lead the USADF. Marocco was reportedly present with the DOGE team on Wednesday.
Brehm suggested in his letter that Trump needed to officially appoint Marocco to the independent agency’s board before he could exercise control over its operations.
“I will look forward to working with Mr. Marocco after such time that he is nominated for a seat on the Board and his nomination is confirmed by the Senate,” the letter from Brehm stated. “Until these legal requirements are met, Mr. Marocco does not hold any position or office with USADF, and he may not speak or act on the Foundation’s behalf.”
On February 19, President Trump issued an executive order eliminating the USADF’s “non-statutory components and functions,” as well as the Presidio Trust, the Inter-American Foundation, and the United States Institute of Peace.
Trump stated in the directive that leaders of the aforementioned agencies must submit reports to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) within two weeks “confirming compliance with this order and stating whether the governmental entity, or any components or functions thereof, are statutorily required and to what extent.”
The USADF is an independent agency founded in 1980 to support small businesses and grassroots organizations that serve marginalized populations and communities throughout Africa.
According to the agency, between 2019 and 2023, it awarded more than $141 million in grants to more than 1,050 community enterprises in Africa, directly affecting 6.2 million people on the continent.
In his letter, Brehm stated: “we have fully cooperated to date with the President’s request that we temporarily cease disbursing any funds, and as requested, we have submitted to OMB our report describing USADF’s statutory mission and the resources required for the Foundation to fulfill that mission.”
Democrats wrote a letter on February 24 arguing that Trump lacks the authority to effectively shut down the congressionally authorized agency.
“Any attempt to unilaterally dismantle the USADF through executive action violates the law and exceeds the constitutional limits of executive authority,” they wrote in an email.
Trump’s executive order from mid-February is part of the administration’s larger effort to drastically reduce foreign aid and effectively shut down USAID, with some programs being folded into the State Department.
Marocco has made little effort to alleviate bipartisan concern, particularly regarding life-saving efforts overseen by US entities around the world.
In a private meeting with House Foreign Affairs Committee lawmakers on Wednesday, Marocco stated that the administration may file criminal charges against USAID employees or recipients of the agency’s grants in response to allegations of foreign aid misuse, according to The Hill.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement on Saturday criticizing Trump’s apparent efforts to dismantle USAFD and the Inter-American Foundation.
“President’s Trump attempt to bypass the law and install his unconfirmed loyalist as an Acting Chair of the Boards of both the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) as a means to terminate their programs and their staff is unlawful and unacceptable,” Shaheen pointed out.
“By statute, the Boards of Directors are to be appointed by the President and subject to Senate confirmation,” the member said. “If President Trump wishes to nominate new Board members, he can submit nominations to the Senate — as the law requires.”
