Judge clears way for Trump administration to pull thousands of USAID staffers off the job [View all]

Source: Associated Press

Judge clears way for Trump administration to pull thousands of USAID staffers off the job

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Updated 3:55 PM EST, February 21, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for the Trump administration to pull thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development staffers off the job. ... U.S. 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 U.S. at government expense.

His ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by unions on behalf of workers. They say the rush to dismantle the agency had cut off some staffers overseas from emergency communications systems, including some in danger of political violence in Congo. ... 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.

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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 lawsuits and a person familiar with the cases. The person was not authorized to speak publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-usaid-foreign-aid-staffing-cuts-lawsuits-d1ec029b4d14c37c25abc5dc07066471