WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) likely violated the Constitution and prevented the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, from making further cuts to the agency.
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Federal District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland ordered the Trump administration to restore access to emails and computers to all USAID employees, including those who were placed on administrative leave.
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The lawsuit named Musk as a defendant included in the preliminary restraining order. The lawyers of the employees and contractors of USAID requested the order.
What happened with USAID?
In February, the Trump administration placed almost all of the worldwide USAID staff on furlough and notified at least 1,600 of its employees in the United States that they were being laid off.
The effort to dismantle the aid agency, which is six decades old, was part of a broader push to cancel billions of dollars in overseas spending.
On his inauguration day, Trump issued an executive order to freeze foreign assistance funding and review all of the United States' aid and development work abroad. Trump claimed that much of the foreign assistance was wasteful and promoted a liberal agenda.