Judge Halts Trump's Plan to Suspend Thousands of USAID Employees

A federal judge has halted President Trump’s plan to place thousands of USAID employees on administrative leave, responding to a lawsuit from labor unions.

In a significant decision, Judge Carl Nichols issued a limited temporary restraining order that prevents President Donald Trump from placing 2,200 workers at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on leave mere hours before the action was scheduled to take effect. The judge's ruling, resulting from a last-minute lawsuit filed by two unions representing the agency's employees, will remain in effect for the next week until February 14 at midnight.

The Trump administration has consistently argued that USAID is not a prudent allocation of taxpayer dollars, proposing to reduce its workforce dramatically by mandating nearly all of the agency's 10,000 employees, apart from 611, to be placed on leave. Prior to this ruling, around 500 staff members had already been placed on administrative leave.

The unions' emergency petition highlighted claims that the government's actions contravened the U.S. Constitution and that employees faced potential harm. Judge Nichols agreed, stating that the workers would endure "irreparable harm" without intervention, while the government would suffer "zero harm." The ruling reinstates the previously suspended 500 employees, ensuring they regain access to essential systems and resumes work as usual.

Future measures concerning the rest of the USAID employees are still uncertain, particularly as the agency displayed measures of downsizing, such as removing signage from its headquarters and making its website inaccessible, redirecting it to messages about personnel cuts.

USAID, recognized as the largest global donor of aid, plays a crucial role in health initiatives worldwide, with two-thirds of its workforce operating from overseas. This agency is among several that the Trump administration has targeted in its efforts to cut federal spending, with the administration's budget reforms pushed by the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, headed by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The unions involved in the lawsuit, namely the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees, argue that the president is acting outside of his legal authority to dismantle the agency. During the proceedings, Judge Nichols, appointed by Trump himself, appeared reluctant to fully concede to other demands made by the unions, including the restoration of grants and contracts or reopening USAID buildings.

The legal complaint articulates that none of the actions undertaken by the Trump administration to dismantle USAID have received congressional approval, emphasizing that only Congress possesses the authority to make such decisions.

In light of the unfolding situation, former USAID Administrator Samantha Power criticized the potential consequences of the cuts in a recent opinion column, labeling them as one of the most detrimental foreign policy mistakes in U.S. history. Meanwhile, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima warned that a reduction in funding could lead to millions of additional AIDS-related deaths in the coming years if aid is not adequately restored.

Trump's administration has historically linked its overseas assistance policies to his "America First" doctrine, implementing measures that freeze foreign funding until alleged corruption and inefficiencies in agencies such as USAID can be examined. The debate over the agency's future continues to raise critical questions about America's role in global humanitarian efforts.