Judge clears way for Trump to pull thousands of USAID staff off job
His ruling comes in a legal case filed by unions on behalf of workers.
A US judge has cleared the way for the Trump administration to pull thousands of US Agency for International Development workers off the job.
US district judge Carl Nichols removed his temporary block on the effort to remove all but a small fraction of USAID staffers from their posts and give those abroad a 30-day deadline to move back to the US at government expense.
His ruling comes in a legal case filed by unions on behalf of workers.
They say the rush to dismantle the agency had cut off some workers overseas from emergency communications systems, including some in danger of political violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Judge Nichols found that the unions’ challenge must be dealt with under federal employment laws rather than in district court.
The Trump administration and the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency tied to billionaire Elon Musk have moved swiftly to shutter USAID, asserting that its work is wasteful and out of line with the president’s agenda.
Staff, however, assert that the courts’ temporary blocks have had only limited effect in slowing the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID and have left some USAID workers stationed worldwide in precarious situations.
The Trump administration has stalled medical evacuations for as many as 25 USAID staffers and spouses in the later stages of high-risk pregnancies overseas, according to testimony in legal cases and a person familiar with the cases.
The person was not authorised to speak publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
USAID “will undertake all measures as appropriate to ensure the safety and security of current employees”, deputy administrator Pete Marocco said in a court filing on Thursday.
The administration says it is taking all required care of workers as it terminates USAID programmes and aims to recall thousands of workers and their families abroad.
Multiple legal cases from groups representing USAID workers, non-profits and businesses are challenging President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign assistance, USAID job cuts and the sudden shutdown of the agency overall.
Another court order has temporarily blocked the halt to funding.
The administration has accused USAID’s programs of being wasteful and promoting a liberal agenda.
