A federal judge paused the Trump administration's efforts to drastically scale back the U.S. Agency for International Development on Friday, temporarily blocking plans to put 2,200 USAID employees on leave at midnight tonight.
Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, said during a hearing in the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. that he would enter a "very limited" temporary restraining order that also addresses the status of 500 USAID staff who have already been put on administrative leave, as well as "the accelerated removal of people from their countries."
The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to NPR's requests for comment.
Unions representing foreign service officers and other USAID employees sued the Trump administration on Thursday to halt efforts to dismantle the agency and freeze most foreign aid. They filed for a temporary restraining order on Friday, asking the court to block the agency from putting workers on leave, laying off contractors and "taking further actions to shut down USAID's operations in a manner not authorized by Congress."
The lawsuit accuses Trump of taking "unconstitutional and illegal" actions in trying to shut down the agency, which was created by Congress in 1961.
Since the inauguration, the Trump administration has taken steps, almost at dizzying speed, aimed at shutting down the agency, which has a workforce of more than 13,000 people and which funds, manages and supports humanitarian projects in more than 120 countries.
The administration halted funding for aid programs, laid off hundreds of contractors, shuttered offices, and announced it would put nearly all staff on administrative leave by Friday at midnight and terminate contractors not deemed essential. The agency announced this week overseas employees should return to the U.S. within 30 days if they wanted the government to cover their travel expenses.
Senior USAID staff had submitted a list of some 600 employees whose work should be considered essential, but on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved fewer than 300 agency staff to continue working.
Earlier on Friday, crews were seen taking down the USAID flag and building signage from its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
During the hearing, Acting Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate attempted to convince Judge Nichols of the urgency of putting USAID staff on administrative leave en masse as well as pulling back overseas staff.
"What's the urgency of doing it tonight?" Judge Nichols asked. Shumate replied: "the President has decided there is corruption and fraud at USAID." Shumate did not provide evidence.
Since President Trump was inaugurated on January 20, the Trump administration and Trump adviser Elon Musk have attacked USAID and argued that the projects it funds do not align with the president's America First foreign policy agenda. On Friday, before the hearing, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "CLOSE IT DOWN!"
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