The Trump Administration’s attempt to shut down USAID is blocked by a federal judge

A federal judge has blocked efforts to close USAID, concluding that Elon Musk’s Department’s activities most certainly violated the Constitution.

The Trump administration has been prevented from taking any further action to close the US Agency for International Development (USAID) by a federal judge.

The efforts to shut down the agency, spearheaded by Trump buddy Elon Musk’s Department for Government Efficiency (Doge), most likely violated the US constitution “in multiple ways,” according to a verdict issued Tuesday by Judge Theodore Chuang.

Chuang gave Doge instructions to let all USAID staff members, including those on leave, to use the organization’s computer and payment systems again.

The judge also decided that USAID staff should no longer be fired, but she did not mandate that those who had been placed on leave be brought back to work.

In court filings, 26 unidentified USAID employees claim Musk is demolishing US government departments in “a predictable and reckless slash-and-burn pattern.” The ruling was made in this case.

In a complaint submitted on February 13, the employees’ attorneys contended that Musk’s authority is unlawful because he has neither been formally nominated for a government position nor confirmed by the US Senate. They also requested that Doge’s actions be stopped and overturned.

In January, shortly after Trump returned to the White House and placed a 90-day block on all U.S. foreign aid, Doge immediately targeted USAID as one of the first organizations to be eliminated.

Doge and Musk contended in court filings that Musk’s involvement is just advisory.

However, Judge Chuang decided that since Musk and Doge controlled USAID, they “probably violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways, and that these actions harmed not only plaintiffs, but also the public interest.”

The ruling’s impact on USAID operations is uncertain. Over 80% of its operations have been suspended, according to administration officials.

The Trump administration took issue with the decision on Tuesday.

“In their efforts to prevent President Trump from implementing his agenda, rogue judges are undermining the will of the American people,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly declared, referring to the ruling as a “miscarriage of justice” and promising to appeal.

The State Democracy Defenders Fund executive chair, Norm Eisen, who represented the USAID staff, referred to the decision as “a milestone in pushing back on Musk and Doge’s illegality.”

“They are using a chainsaw rather than a scalpel to perform surgery, which is detrimental not only to the people that USAID assists but also to the vast majority of Americans who rely on the stability of our government,” Eisen stated.

For the Trump administration, the decision represents the most recent judicial setback. The deportation of suspected Venezuelan gang members was halted on Monday by another federal judge.

When he issued his order while many deportation flights were in the air, the judge in that case asked Department of Justice attorneys why it was not promptly followed.

When President Trump demanded that the judge in that case be removed from office, the chief justice of the US Supreme Court issued a rare rebuke.