A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must temporarily lift a three-week freeze on funding that has shut down U.S. aid and development programs worldwide. The judge pointed out the significant harm the shutdown has caused to nonprofits and other organizations involved in U.S. assistance abroad.
This decision marks the second major setback for the Trump administration in its efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which Trump and his ally Elon Musk have criticized as out of line with their goals. The ruling is the first to directly address the sudden suspension of USAID funds for programs overseas, leaving contractors, farmers, and suppliers both in the U.S. and abroad unpaid for work they’ve already completed and causing widespread layoffs.
The lawsuit, filed by organizations like the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Global Health Council, led to the ruling. Judge Amir Ali issued the temporary order, explaining that while the administration argued the freeze was necessary to review USAID programs, they failed to justify why a blanket suspension was necessary. The judge emphasized that the freeze was a shock to thousands of nonprofits, businesses, and contractors, which had to stop their work without any explanation.
The ruling also prevents Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Trump officials from enforcing orders that would stop work on foreign aid programs. This decision applies to contracts made before Trump’s January 20 executive order that triggered the freeze.
Judge Ali also rejected the administration’s claim that they had a waiver system to ease the impact of the freeze, noting that such a system didn’t exist and that USAID’s online payment system wasn’t working. However, the judge stopped short of challenging Trump’s executive order itself, limiting his ruling to temporarily blocking the enforcement of the freeze.
Earlier, another judge in a separate case regarding USAID’s dismantling ruled to extend a pause on the administration’s plans to pull most of USAID’s staff from their posts worldwide. This came after a nearly three-hour hearing, where the judge focused on how the abrupt orders were affecting employees, particularly in high-risk areas. The judge plans to issue a written ruling soon.
Some USAID staffers who were in Congo filed affidavits, detailing how the agency abandoned them during a violent outbreak in the country’s capital last month. These staffers were left to evacuate without support, with their jobs and funding now in jeopardy due to the funding freeze.
The freeze and the removal of top officials from USAID have put thousands of workers in a difficult position, with many facing layoffs and the loss of their livelihoods. Unions representing federal employees quickly pushed for the continuation of the freeze, while the Trump administration and Musk’s cost-cutting initiative continue to target USAID for being wasteful, though no evidence has been presented to support this claim.
USAID’s deputy head, Pete Marocco, claimed that the staff’s so-called “insubordination” made it impossible to conduct a review of the agency’s programs without first halting operations. However, USAID staff have denied this, arguing that they were doing their best to follow unclear orders from Musk’s associates and other outsiders.
Supporters of USAID and Democratic lawmakers argue that Trump’s actions, including revoking USAID’s lease on its headquarters, seem designed to dismantle the agency before anyone can stop it. They claim Trump doesn’t have the power to shut down USAID or its programs without congressional approval, while the administration asserts that the president has broad, unreviewable powers in the realm of foreign affairs.
