CV NEWS FEED // A federal judge cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with plans to remove thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees Friday.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols lifted a temporary block, originally imposed Feb. 7. The move allows President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to significantly reduce USAID’s funding and global workforce.
The judge’s action comes in response to a lawsuit filed by unions representing USAID workers.
The lawsuit argued that staff reductions would leave overseas employees – particularly in high-risk areas like Congo – without emergency communication.
The USAID administration, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, assured staffers they would have access to emergency tools, including two-way radios, to ensure their safety.
Nichols ruled that the unions lacked legal grounds to block DOGE’s plans, stating that the workers “have not demonstrated that further preliminary injunctive relief is warranted.”
DOGE’s plan to dismantle USAID follows criticism of the agency’s spending practices, with the Trump administration arguing that its operations are wasteful and misaligned with policies that benefit Americans.
A recent White House article described USAID as “unaccountable to taxpayers,” funneling “massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight.”
As CatholicVote previously reported: “The statement went on to list several abuses, including millions of dollars given to foreign countries to advance controversial diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, thousands to ‘transgender’ initiatives, and $2 million for ‘sex changes.’”
Nichols stated in his ruling, “The Court certainly recognizes these potential effects of the government’s actions. But the government has also identified plausible harms that could ensue if its actions with respect to USAID are not permitted to resume. In the President’s view, ‘the United States foreign aid industry’ is ‘not aligned with American interests and in many cases [is] antithetical to American values’ and indeed, ‘world peace.’”