Into the Wood Chipper

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER PropulsiveWhen the full history of this moment is ready to be written, Into the Wood Chipper will be a vivid source. The New York Times A gripping page-turner that doubles as both a warning and an inspiration. Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of A Problem from Hell A civil servant discovers his breaking point when the Trump administrations cruelty and indifference threaten to violate the oath he swore to uphold.Nicholas Enrich had finally achieved his lifelong dream: becoming USAIDs lead official for global health. But that dream turned out to be a nightmare in the tumultuous time after President Trumps second inauguration. In the months that followed, USAID became the first target of Elon Musks newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The mission to which Enrich had dedicated his career was being dismantled before his eyeseven the name of the agency was removed from the buildings facade. Enrich witnessed firsthand the Trump administrations lies, how it systematically prevented USAID from providing lifesaving foreign aid, and the death and suffering around the world that resulted from careless decisions. Finally determining he could no longer keep quiet, and risking the career that he loved deeply, Enrich released a set of whistleblowing memos exposing the administrations illegal and destructive actions. Enrich was put on administrative leave, yet his memos went viral and had a sustained impact. In the days following their release, hundreds of canceled aid projects were revived, and the documents were cited in a Supreme Court case on the legality of USAIDs dissolution. While his memos were too late to save USAID, Enrich was one of the first government officials to publicly blow the whistle on DOGEs reckless destruction, sounding an early alarm bell for other federal agencies that would soon find themselves in the crosshairs. Urgent and profoundly human, Enrichs story offers an astonishing behind-the-scenes look at a federal agency under siege, from the early days when Enrich and his team were unaware of what was to come to the shockingly ignorant, callous, and bigoted conversations they witnessed. Enrich reveals in this detailed, no-holds-barred account what was truly at stake when DOGE set out to dismantle one of Americas most effective humanitarian institutions, and how millions of lives hung in the balance.