U.S. Agency for International Development workers who have been fired or placed on leave as part of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the agency began paying mournful final visits to their abruptly closed Washington headquarters on Thursday, under the administration’s 15-minute windows to clear out their offices while escorted by federal officers.
Some staffers wept as they carried out grocery bags and suitcases with what was left from their life’s work. Supporters clapped and cheered outside or drove by tapping their car horns to bolster their spirits.
A woman coming back out of the building loaded down with backpacks and bags burst into tears at the cheers that greeted her. Many of a small but growing crowd of supporters outside enveloped her in hugs.
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