US judge to temporarily block Trump from taking some steps to dismantle USAID

WASHINGTON — 

A U.S. justice connected Friday said helium would participate a "limited" bid temporarily blocking the Trump medication from taking immoderate steps to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, adding that 2,200 employees from the bureau would not instantly beryllium placed connected administrative leave.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols successful Washington, who was nominated by Trump during his archetypal term, announced the determination astatine a proceeding connected a suit from the largest U.S. authorities workers' national and an relation of overseas work workers, who sued to halt the medication from dismantling the agency.

Nichols said the written ruling would beryllium issued aboriginal Friday.

The medication successful a announcement sent to the overseas assistance agency's workers connected Thursday said it would support 611 indispensable workers connected committee astatine USAID retired of a worldwide workforce that totals much than 10,000.

"The large simplification successful force, arsenic good arsenic the closure of offices, the forced relocation of these individuals were each done successful excess of the executive’s authorization successful usurpation of the separation of powers," Karla Gilbride, a lawyer for the unions, said astatine the hearing.

A Justice Department official, Brett Shumate, told Nichols that astir 2,200 USAID employees would beryllium enactment connected paid permission nether the administration's plans, adding that 500 had already been placed connected leave.

"The president has decided determination is corruption and fraud astatine USAID," Shumate said.

However, the justice said his bid would forestall those 2,200 employees from being instantly placed connected administrative permission and would besides intermission the relocation of definite humanitarian workers stationed extracurricular the United States.

Hours aft helium was inaugurated connected Jan. 20, Trump ordered each U.S. overseas assistance beryllium paused to guarantee it was aligned with his "America First" policy. Chaos has since consumed USAID, which distributes billions of dollars of humanitarian assistance astir the world.

The State Department issued worldwide stop-work directives aft the enforcement bid was issued, efficaciously freezing each overseas assistance with the objection of exigency nutrient assistance. That brought USAID programs covering lifesaving assistance astir the globe to a grinding halt, successful a determination that experts warned risked sidesplitting people.

The gutting of the bureau has mostly been overseen by businessman Elon Musk, the world's richest antheral and a adjacent Trump state spearheading the president's effort to shrink the national bureaucracy.

In fiscal 2023, the United States disbursed, partially via USAID, $72 cardinal of assistance worldwide connected everything from women's wellness successful struggle zones to entree to cleanable water, HIV/AIDS treatments, vigor information and anti-corruption work.

The U.S. provided 42% of each humanitarian assistance tracked by the United Nations successful 2024, yet that represents little than 1% of its full budget.