A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Trump’s plan to put around 2,200 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on administrative leave. This ruling follows legal challenges by federal employee unions against the potential dismantling of the agency.
The administration sought to decrease USAID’s workforce from 10,000 to 600, citing concerns about corruption and fraud within the agency.
Critics contend that these actions might jeopardize international humanitarian aid initiatives and exceed executive authority.
Judge Nichols sided with the unions, saying they would suffer “irreparable harm” if the court did not intervene, while there would be “zero harm to the government.”
“All USAID employees currently on administrative leave shall be reinstated until that date and shall be given complete access to email, payment, and security notification systems until that date, and no additional employees shall be placed on administrative leave before that date,” Nichols wrote.
The court’s temporary restraining order stops the furloughs, allowing affected employees to continue working. Further hearings are scheduled to assess the legality and impact of the administration’s decisions.
