A federal judge is set to block the Trump administration’s plan to place more than 2,000 employees of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on leave at midnight, following legal challenges from unions representing foreign service workers.
Two foreign service unions sued the federal government in response to the administration’s effort to reduce USAID’s workforce from 14,000 to just 300 employees as part of broader government spending cuts.
After a hearing on Friday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, announced his intention to issue a temporary restraining order preventing the administration from placing 2,200 USAID employees on administrative leave as planned.
Nichols stated that the order would halt the “accelerated removal” of USAID employees from their overseas posts, adding that he would provide a written explanation before midnight.
“This is about how employees are harmed in their capacity as employees in the employee/employer relationship,” Nichols said. “It seems to me that, for reasons I will discuss in this order, the plaintiffs have established at least that there is irreparable harm as it relates to that relationship.”
Lawyers from the Department of Justice confirmed that 500 USAID employees had already been placed on leave, with an additional 2,000 scheduled for leave at midnight.
Acting Assistant Attorney Brett Shumate defended the layoffs, stating, “The president has decided there was corruption and fraud at USAID.”
The restraining order temporarily halts the administration’s workforce reduction at USAID, pending further court proceedings.
