A federal judge has halted a sweeping effort by the Trump administration to sideline thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees, temporarily allowing 2,700 staff members to return to work. The move, part of a broader push to dismantle the foreign aid agency, was blocked Friday by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who found that the administration’s plan risked causing “irreparable harm.”
The ruling pauses key elements of Trump’s directive, which sought to place approximately 2,200 USAID employees on paid leave and had already furloughed 500. Additionally, the judge’s order prevents the forced relocation of USAID humanitarian workers stationed overseas. However, Nichols declined to reopen agency offices or restore funding for grants and contracts.
Trump’s executive order, issued just hours after his January 20 inauguration, froze all U.S. foreign aid, citing unproven claims of corruption and fraud within USAID. The sudden halt left critical programs—including food assistance, health initiatives, and infrastructure projects—frozen worldwide, sparking warnings from aid experts that lives were at risk.
The administration has justified the drastic measures by asserting the need for a top-down reassessment of USAID’s mission. Elon Musk, a key Trump ally, has played a central role in the agency’s overhaul, leading efforts to reshape the federal bureaucracy. USAID, which disbursed $72 billion in aid in 2023 and accounted for nearly half of all humanitarian assistance tracked by the United Nations last year, now faces an uncertain future.
The temporary order remains in effect until February 14, with another court hearing set for Wednesday to determine whether the block will be extended.
