Federal workers sue Trump administration over plan to shut down USAID
Federal workers associations in the United States have asked a federal high court in Washington to stop the Donald Trump administration from shutting down the United States Agency for International Development.
The lawsuit was filed by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees.
The workers hinge their suit on the argument that USAID is a creation of Congress, which the executive branch of government cannot dismantle.
USAID is the world’s foremost development agency responsible for billions of dollars in US aid projects across the globe. Its scope of operations includes healthcare, disaster relief, nutrition, and sex education.
Trump and the Tesla CEO and head of the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, have targeted USAID as part of a wide-ranging move to shrink the federal workforce and save taxpayer funds.
On February 5, USAID announced that it was placing all directly hired staff globally on administrative leave after DOGE staffers forcefully gained access to its headquarters and database.
The agency also said personnel posted overseas would be recalled within 30 days.
On Thursday, the Trump administration presented a plan to dismantle USAID — which would see the agency reduced to 300 staff from 10,000.
