On the way to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, a path is being prepared for the placement of approximately 2,200 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development. A federal judge lifted a temporary ban on the dismissal of all agency employees, except for a limited number providing employees a final period of 30 days to return to the United States at the expense of the government.
Two employees representing the others filed a lawsuit, claiming that the Trump administration did not have the authority to fully dismiss employees. However, Judge Carl Nichols, appointed by Trump during his first term, stated that the ruling had "no precedent" and relied on the close relationship of current members with the agency.
Nichols noted: "As of today's date, the agency is functioning... and, subsequently, the proposed deficit, for which those proceedings are being relied upon, is primarily based on the current labor relations of employees with the U.S. Agency for International Development."
The U.S. Agency for International Development - the largest aid agency in the world, where approximately 10,000 people work, a third of whom are from other countries. It is responsible for the distribution of the majority of humanitarian aid from the American government to countries with developing economies and those in crisis.
