Washington— Legal setback halts administrative leave plan for thousands of agency employees
A federal judge has temporarily blocked former President Donald Trump’s attempt to place thousands of employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on administrative leave, marking another legal hurdle for the new administration’s efforts to restructure government operations.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, issued the last-minute order on Friday, just hours before the administration’s midnight deadline to effectively dismantle the agency. He stated that a detailed written ruling would follow soon.
The Trump administration had planned to recall USAID employees stationed abroad and place all staff on indefinite administrative leave, arguing that the agency had operated beyond its intended scope. As part of the shutdown, the agency’s website was taken down, its computer systems went offline, and its headquarters signage was removed.
However, the move faced strong opposition from employee unions. The American Federation of Government Employees and the American Foreign Service Association, which represent nearly 2,000 USAID employees, filed a lawsuit demanding an immediate halt to the agency’s closure. The unions warned of dire humanitarian consequences, citing USAID’s crucial global aid programs.
The agency’s collapse has had disastrous humanitarian consequences, the unions argued. “Already, 300 babies that would not have had HIV, now do. Thousands of girls and women will die from pregnancy and childbirth. Without judicial intervention, it will only get worse.
This legal blockade is the latest in a series of setbacks for Trump’s policies. Previous court rulings have stalled his attempts to alter birthright citizenship, freeze federal grants, and implement employee buyouts.
Despite the court’s intervention, USAID’s website as of Friday night still displayed a shutdown notice, informing employees of the administrative leave order and requiring those posted abroad to return within 30 days, with limited exceptions for family or medical situations.
The ruling provides temporary relief for USAID employees, but the long-term fate of the agency remains uncertain as legal battles continue.
