USAID HR had no record of DOGE aide who cut programs
Original title: A 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working There
Emails say Jeremy Lewin had not finished onboarding while he terminated staff and 60 overseas missions.
WIRED reports that internal USAID emails show Jeremy Lewin, a 28-year-old DOGE affiliate, canceled aid programs and signed off on staff terminations from March 18 to April 4, 2025, without completing standard hiring paperwork. Security staff could not issue him an ID because agency records did not list him as an employee. Lewin says Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailed and dual-appointed him with counsel's advice, and that he held a State Department clearance. Experts question whether he had legal authority; the episode is tied to lawsuits over DOGE workforce cuts.
Unconfirmed: Lewin and a White House official say required paperwork was submitted; experts dispute his authority.
- Lewin says he began at USAID as a senior adviser on January 28, 2025.
- By March 26 he had not accepted a job offer or filed form OF-306.
- On March 28 he signed a letter terminating remaining USAID staff.
- An HR executive said delegation documents were not seen until late April 2025.
From the original article
8 min read at wired.com
On March 18, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed the reins of the US Agency for International Development to Jeremy Lewin, a 28-year-old graduate of Harvard Law School, former investment banker, and affiliate of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency . At the time, Lewin’s appointment drew criticism because of his lack of experience in government, diplomacy, or foreign assistance.
By ck2 · wired.com
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