Judge blocks Elon Musk’s path from more USAID cuts, citations that may be unconstitutional
The ruling requires the Trump administration to restore email and computer access to all USAID employees, including those on executive leave. However, it does not reverse the shooting or fully restore the agency.
In one of the first lawsuits directly against Musk, U.S. District Court Judge Theodore Chuang rejected the Trump administration’s claim that Musk was just an adviser to President Donald Trump.
Chuang quoted Musk’s public remarks and social media posts and found Musk had “firm control over Doge”. He highlighted a post where Musk claimed that “fed the USAID into wood shavings.”
The judge warned that the ability of U.S. Agency for International Development to fulfill its legal obligations could be compromised. “To sum up, these facts support the conclusion that the United States Agency for International Development has effectively eliminated,” Zhong wrote in the preliminary ban.
The lawsuit filed by U.S. International Development employees and contractors argues that Musk and the threshold are exercising the power reserved for elected or Senate-confirmed officials. Their attorneys said the ruling “effectively stopped or reversed” many of Doge’s actions against the agency. The Trump administration believes that Doge focuses on identifying waste, fraud and abuse in federal plans – a key campaign commitment during Trump’s 2024 election. Neither the White House nor the Governor immediately commented on the ruling. In February, U.S. Agency for International Development security officials were forced to take leave after trying to block door workers from accessing sensitive agent documents.
Doge then ordered all USAID staff to leave their role by forcing leaves or fire, and terminated 83% of the U.S. International Development Program contract.
Eliminate radical efforts by the Agency for International Development to align with Trump’s Inauguration Day executive order, which freezes foreign aid funds and calls for a review of U.S. development efforts abroad, citing concerns about wasted spending.
Critics, including Democratic lawmakers, believe Trump lacks the power to block funds that Congress has approved.
Judge Chuang concluded that Doge quickly demolished the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and undermined Congress’s “constitutional power to decide whether, when and how to close the institutions created by Congress.”
The lawsuit was filed by the State Democracy Defenders Fund. Norm Eisen, the organization’s executive chairman, said the ruling was a landmark decision that confirmed Musk’s actions violated the Constitution’s appointment clause, which required the Senate to confirm certain public positions.
“They are doing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel,” Eisen said, warning that the damage ranges beyond the wider stability of the AID.
Abby Maxman of Oxfam America urged the full recovery of USIA funding and staff. “Freezes and planned funding cuts have had a life or death impact on millions around the world,” she said.
Input with the Associated Press
