U.S. federal workers associations have petitioned a federal high court in Washington to prevent the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development by the Donald Trump administration.
The lawsuit was filed by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees.
The workers hinge their suit on the argument that USAID is a creation of Congress, which the executive branch of government cannot dismantle.
USAID is the world’s foremost development agency, responsible for billions of dollars in US aid projects across the globe. Its scope of operations includes healthcare, disaster relief, nutrition, and sex education.
Trump and the Tesla CEO and head of the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, have targeted USAID as part of a wide-ranging move to shrink the federal workforce and save taxpayer funds.
On February 5, USAID announced that it was placing all directly hired staff globally on administrative leave after DOGE staffers forcefully gained access to its headquarters and database.
The agency also said personnel posted overseas would be recalled within 30 days.
Democrats in Congress have described the administration’s moves as unconstitutional.
In their suit, the workers are asking the court to compel the Trump administration to reopen USAID buildings, return employees to work, and restore funding.
They said government officials “failed to acknowledge the catastrophic consequences of their actions, both as they pertain to American workers, the lives of millions around the world, and to US national interests.”
Trump intends to effectively dismantle USAID and move the organization’s operations to the State Department.
During a visit to Guatemala On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said USAID must align its programmes with the policies of the Trump administration to move forward.
He said, “The United States is not walking away from foreign aid. It’s not that we’re going to continue to provide foreign aid and to be involved in programs, but it has to be programs that we can defend.
“It has to be programs that we can explain. It has to be programs that we can justify. Otherwise, we do endanger foreign aid.”
