A judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's plan to place 2,200 employees of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on paid leave, just hours before the action was set to begin. Judge Carl Nichols issued a "limited" temporary restraining order following a last-minute lawsuit filed by two unions seeking to protect the agency. The order will remain in effect until 14 February at midnight.
Thousands at USAID put on forced leave under Trump’s plan
Trump has argued that USAID, the US’s primary foreign aid agency, is an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars and has aimed to reduce its operations. He proposed placing nearly all of the agency’s 10,000 employees on leave, with the exception of 611. Previously, around 500 employees had already been put on administrative leave, and another 2,200 were scheduled to join them from midnight on Friday.
The unions filed a lawsuit on Friday claiming that the government's actions violated the US Constitution and harmed the workers. Judge Nichols agreed with the unions, stating that they would face "irreparable harm" without the court's intervention, and there would be "zero harm to the government." The ruling mandates that all USAID employees currently on administrative leave be reinstated and have full access to email, payment, and security systems until 14 February. No additional employees will be placed on administrative leave before that date.
The judge will hear further arguments on Wednesday regarding the potential for a longer-term halt to the plan. It remains unclear what will happen to the jobs of the other USAID staff members. Meanwhile, signs at USAID’s headquarters in Washington DC were being covered up as the ruling was issued.
USAID, the world’s largest aid donor, manages significant health programs worldwide, with two-thirds of its 10,000 employees working abroad. The agency is one of several federal organizations being targeted by the Trump administration to reduce federal spending. Trump’s campaign included plans to overhaul the government, and he formed an advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, to reduce the budget.
Judge Nichols issued the ruling in response to an emergency petition from the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees, two unions representing USAID staff. During the hearing, Nichols, who was nominated by Trump, seemed unlikely to grant other requests in the lawsuit, such as restoring grants or reopening USAID offices. The unions argued that the president was violating federal law by attempting to dismantle the agency without congressional approval.
From fighting disease to protecting the Amazon rainforest, USAID has big impact across the globe
Trump’s administration, through Justice Department representative Brett Shumate, claimed that the president had decided there was corruption and fraud within USAID. After taking office, Trump signed an executive order halting foreign assistance until funds were reviewed under his "America First" policy, resulting in a stop work order for USAID.
In response, former USAID administrator Samantha Power criticized the decision in a New York Times op-ed, calling it one of the worst foreign policy blunders in US history. USAID's budget of approximately $40 billion constitutes 0.6% of the total US government spending. Global humanitarian organizations, including UNAIDS, warned that cuts to USAID funding would have severe global consequences, with predicted increases in AIDS-related deaths over the next five years.