In early February, the administration imposed a forced leave on the top security officials of the agency after attempting to prevent DOGE employees from accessing classified and sensitive USAID documents. The administration, with the support of Elon Musk and DOGE, ordered nearly all agency staff to leave their jobs through forced leaves and layoffs, ending at least 83 percent of the USAID program contracts.
Trump signed an executive order to freeze foreign aid funding and review all U.S. assistance and development work abroad, arguing that much of the foreign assistance was wasteful and promoted a liberal agenda. However, Democratic lawmakers and USAID supporters argued that Trump did not have the authority to withhold funds that Congress had already approved.
Federal Judge Theodore Chuang indefinitely blocked DOGE from making further cuts to the agency and ordered the Trump administration to restore email and computer access to all USAID employees. Chuang determined that Musk and DOGE's dismantling of USAID likely violated the Constitution.
Musk, along with his team and Trump's political appointee, Pete Marocco, played a crucial role in the dismantling of USAID. The lawsuit filed by USAID employees and contractors argued that Musk and DOGE exercise power that the Constitution reserves exclusively for those who win elections or are confirmed by the Senate.
Norm Eisen, executive chairman of a nonprofit organization, stated that the ruling is a milestone in opposition to DOGE and the first to determine that Musk's actions violate the Constitution. Abby Maxman from Oxfam America urged for the restoration of all personnel resources and funding, and her lawyers stated that the ruling effectively halts or reverses many of the measures taken to dismantle the agency.
The administration has claimed that DOGE seeks to eradicate waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, in line with the campaign message that helped Trump win the 2024 election. The executive director of a humanitarian group expressed concern about the consequences that the freeze on funding and cuts to programs are having on millions of people worldwide.
