A US judge has temporarily allowed approximately 2,700 employees of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to return to work after President Donald Trump’s administration placed them on leave. This ruling pauses parts of a broader plan to restructure the agency.
Court ruling and its implications
On Friday, US District Judge Carl Nichols, appointed by Trump, issued an order stopping the administration from enforcing a directive requiring thousands of USAID staff overseas to return to the US within 30 days at government expense. The judge highlighted concerns about financial and logistical burdens on employees and their families.
The court noted that some workers abroad lost access to government email systems and other communications, preventing them from contacting US authorities in emergencies. Reports suggested that USAID contractors in regions such as the Middle East also lost access to key security features, including emergency alert applications, when the administration furloughed them.
Judge Nichols referred to statements from USAID employees who had lived abroad for decades and now faced uncertainty regarding housing and their children’s education. Some staff had children with special needs who would struggle with a mid-year relocation.
Impact on USAID operations
The judge ordered the reinstatement of USAID staff placed on leave. However, he did not grant a temporary block on a funding freeze imposed by the administration, which has effectively shut down the agency’s operations. Further hearings will take place on the legal challenge brought by two federal employee associations.
Before the ruling, Trump publicly called for the closure of USAID. His administration had already started removing the agency’s name from its headquarters in Washington, covering signs and taking down flags. This move aligns with broader efforts led by Elon Musk, head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, to reduce federal spending and restructure government agencies.
The administration’s actions led to the suspension of almost all USAID programmes, leaving staff and contractors without access to agency resources. According to Democratic lawmakers, officials also removed USAID’s computer servers as part of the transition process.
Legal and political repercussions
Legal representatives for the employee associations argued that Trump lacks the authority to dismantle the agency without congressional approval. The administration maintains that it has the legal right to place employees on leave and restructure government operations.
This ruling adds to a series of legal challenges against the Trump administration. Other policies, such as offering financial incentives for federal employees to resign and ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, have also been temporarily halted by the courts.
Separately, USAID officials disputed claims by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that critical life-saving aid programmes continued receiving funding. They reported that key initiatives, including food assistance for 36 million people and water supplies for displaced communities in Sudan’s Darfur region, lacked funding due to the freeze.
Initially, the administration ordered nearly all USAID staff overseas to return to the US within 30 days. However, after concerns from diplomats and agency officials, the government clarified that employees were not required to leave their host countries. Those staying beyond the deadline might have to cover their own expenses unless granted a hardship waiver.
Rubio defended the administration’s stance, arguing that it aimed to ensure greater oversight of foreign aid spending. He maintained that future aid would align with national interests and accused staffers of attempting to bypass the funding freeze—an allegation agency employees deny.
