Judge gives go-ahead for Trump administration to gut USAID

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A federal judge on Friday paved the way for the Trump administration to move forward with plans to remove thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development workers from their jobs.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols denied a request from labor groups to issue a preliminary injunction after the Trump administration said thousands of USAID employees would be placed on administrative leave and ordered agency personnel abroad to return to the U.S. within 30 days.

“Weighing plaintiffs’ assertions on these questions against the government’s is like comparing apples to oranges. Where one side claims that USAID’s operations are essential to human flourishing and the other side claims they are presently at odds with it, it simply is not possible for the Court to conclude, as a matter of law or equity, that the public interest favors or disfavors an injunction,” Nichols wrote.

“Plaintiffs have presented no irreparable harm they or their members are imminently likely to suffer from the hypothetical future dissolution of USAID,” Nichols wrote. “And it is not clear why the speed of proceedings in the relevant agencies would be insufficient to address the only actions that have already happened and are presently ripe for review: administrative leave placements, expedited evacuations, and other changes to working conditions of the sort those bodies routinely confront.”

In addition to promoting false conspiracy theories about USAID, Musk recently referred to the agency as “a criminal organization” in a post on X that added, “Time for it to die.

A federal judge is giving the Trump administration until Monday to pay several nonprofit groups and aid organizations that were affected by President Donald Trump's order to freeze foreign assistance and shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali formalized a plan to ensure the federal government releases funds to at least nine groups, including the Global Health Council, Chemonics International and the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.

Ali previously ordered the administration to temporarily disburse foreign aid that was in place before Trump took office on Jan. 20, an amount the government estimated to be up to $2 billion.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court affirmed Ali's earlier ruling but wrote that he “should clarify what obligations the government must fulfill” to comply with his ruling.

Ali on Thursday did not order the administration to pay the full $2 billion by the deadline of 6 p.m. ET Monday but instead ordered the payment of a yet-to-be determined smaller amount to the aid organizations named in the suit.

He requested more information from the plaintiffs in the case by noon Friday, which will determine the payment amount and specific recipients.

t is unclear whether the payments will be delivered by the Monday deadline, as the Justice Department told the judge that the administration anticipates it will be able to pay the plaintiffs in “not more than ten working days” and that the upcoming weekend may pose a challenge in disbursing the funds.

“There are a number of logistical problems that have to be solved,” Justice Department attorney Indraneel Sur said Thursday.

An attorney representing the aid groups said funding has to be provided by March 14 for USAID to "keep the lights on."

USAID provides billions of dollars’ worth of humanitarian aid overseas from funding that represents less than 1% of the federal budget. In fiscal year 2023, it was allotted more than $40 billion and provided assistance to about 130 countries, according to the Congressional Research Service.

The countries that received the most assistance from USAID that year were Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan and Congo.