by Admin
Feb 8, 2025
A U.S. federal judge on Friday issued a temporary order allowing approximately 2,700 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to return to work, halting parts of the President Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the agency.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, partially granted an emergency request from the country’s largest government workers’ union and a foreign service workers’ association, both of which had sued to block the administration’s efforts to close the agency.
Judge Nichols’ ruling is effective until February 14, prevents the administration from placing about 2,200 USAID employees on paid leave starting Saturday and reinstates roughly 500 workers who had already been furloughed. Additionally, the order bars the administration from relocating USAID humanitarian workers stationed outside the United States.
The judge determined that the unions had made a “strong showing of irreparable harm” if the court did not intervene. A hearing scheduled for Wednesday will determine whether a longer-term injunction is warranted.
While Nichols’ ruling provides temporary relief for USAID employees, he declined other requests from the unions, including reopening agency buildings and restoring funding for USAID grants and contracts.
The case marks a significant legal challenge to the President Trump administration’s efforts to restructure the agency, with broader implications for United States foreign aid operations and federal workforce policies.