5 Mar 2025

US African Development Foundation Says No to DOGE

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Ward Brehm, President and CEO of the African Development Foundation issued a letter to DOGE denying access to Peter Marocco until he is duly nominated and confirmed to the USAID board by the Senate. 

USAID has a budget of only about $40 million. It is one of the smallest agencies in the federal government.

Roughly 30 USADF workers were in the building when a pair of young men arrived. The men falsely claimed to be USADF staff who didn’t have their key cards for entry. The security guard informed staff, who told him to block entry because the young men matched the description of DOGE workers who previously introduced themselves at the agency.The DOGE men threatened the security guard, saying they would call U.S. Marshals to force their way in. The guard relented.When DOGE got to the USADF floor, staff refused to let them in.
USADF staff told the Washington Post that they knew DOGE wanted to dismantle their agency. They saw this confrontation as their last opportunity to block DOGE from accessing their system.
Ward Brehm, president and CEO of USADF, was not present at the time but had previously sent a letter to DOGE barring any meetings unless he was present. “In my absence, I have specifically instructed the staff of USADF to adhere to our rules and procedure of not allowing any meetings of this type without my presence,” he wrote.
The DOGE men were eventually joined by Pete Marocco from the State Department, a MAGA implant who has been slashing foreign aid. They threatened to come back the next day.
Denied entry to the USADF offices, the DOGE team wandered the halls aimlessly and eventually left an hour later.
A brief video of the standoff went viral on X after being shared by a ProPublica reporter who obtained permission from USADF employees to post.

Click here to read the Brehm’s letter to Marocco.