“President Trump’s actions to dissolve USAID exceed presidential authority and usurp legislative authority conferred upon Congress by the Constitution, in violation of the separation of powers,” the lawsuit alleges.
A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against President Donald Trump’s decision to place an estimated 2,200 workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development on paid leave.
According to the BBC, Judge Carl Nichols’ limited and temporary restraining order will remain in effect until February 14 at midnight. The ruling was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by two labor unions, both of which are attempting to stop Trump’s dismantling of USAID.
Trump has insisted that USAID is corrupt and a poor use of taxpayer money. Long-term, the president has said that he plans to dismantle the organization in its entirety.
Attorneys for the plaintiff labor unions argue that the Trump administration’s actions violate the Constitution and infringe upon the labor rights of USAID’s workers.
“President Trump’s actions to dissolve USAID exceed presidential authority and usurp legislative authority conferred upon Congress by the Constitution, in violation of the separation of powers,” the lawsuit alleges.
In his ruling, Nichols said that the unions would suffer “irreparable harm” without a restraining order; he further noted that the continued operation of USAID would cause “zero harm to the government.”
Nichols’ order reinstates more than 500 USAID employees who have already been placed on paid administrative leave.
“All USAID employees currently on administrative leave shall be reinstated until that date, and shall be given complete access to email, payment, and security notification systems until that date, and no additional employees shall be placed on administrative leave before that date,” Nichols wrote.
The BBC reports that Nichols, himself a Trump appointee, does not appear poised to grant the plaintiffs’ other requests, such as a reinstatement of grants and the re-opening of closed USAID administrative buildings.
Nevertheless, Nichols remained critical of the administration’s actions.
“Not a single one of the defendants’ actions to dismantle USAID were taken pursuant to congressional authorization,” he wrote. “And pursuant to federal statute, Congress is the only entity that may lawfully dismantle the agency.”
Brett Shumate, an attorney for the federal Department of Justice, tried explaining the government’s actions by saying that President Trump “has decided that there is corruption and fraud at USAID.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed, without providing substantive evidence, that USAID is corrupt and incapable of handling its own accounts.
“USAID IS DRIVING THE RADICAL LEFT CRAZY,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “THE CORRUPTION IS AT LEVELS RARELY SEEN BEFORE. CLOSE IT DOWN!”
Sources
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