A federal judge will issue what he said is a ‘very limited’ order pausing President Trump’s plans to put thousands of USAID employees on paid administrative leave at midnight tonight.
The number of employees affected by this is around 2,200.
A lawyer for the government said this is “nothing more than a “personnel action” for which the workers could seek legal remedies after they’ve been affected, through different channels.”
The judge in this case is a Trump appointee from President Trump’s first term.
Here’s more from The Hill:
A federal judge said Friday he intends to temporarily block the Trump administration’s plan to place thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees on leave at midnight.
Unions representing government employees sued to stop the shutdown of agency operations and restart the flow of foreign aid frozen by President Trump, who has accused the agency of fraud and corruption to justify its imminent shuttering.
Judge Carl Nichols, appointed by Trump during his first term, said he would issue a formal order later Friday but that a “limited, very limited” order temporarily pausing the plan would be handed down.
“They should not put those 2,200 people on administrative leave tonight,” Nichols said.
Brett Shumate, a lawyer for the government, called the decision to put employees on leave nothing more than a “personnel action” for which the workers could seek legal remedies after they’ve been affected, through different channels.
The government said some 2,200 employees were set to be put on paid administrative leave at midnight and roughly 500 individuals were already put on leave. Some 600 “essential personnel” remain.
“That’s what’s happening here. It’s just a big number,” he said, referencing the thousands of employees who would be impacted.
While lawmakers and legal experts have argued the Trump administration’s actions are illegal and unconstitutional, since USAID is an independent agency established by Congress, Trump has doubled down on allegations of fraud at the agency to justify the overhaul.
“When you look at USAID, the whole thing is a fraud. Very little put to good use. Every single line that I look at is either corrupt or ridiculous,” Trump told reporters Friday.