A federal judge has cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to place thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development employees on leave, including many stationed overseas. In a ruling issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, lifted the temporary hold he had imposed two weeks earlier. Nichols determined that initial concerns suggesting USAID staff and their families could face physical danger or have medical treatments disrupted were “overstated” upon closer examination.

 

He also stated that the potential effects on employees and those reliant on USAID’s work did not clearly outweigh the harm caused by obstructing the administration’s broader efforts to reshape foreign aid policy.  

 

“The government has made a colorable case that the actions challenged in this case are essential to its policy goals,” Nichols wrote.  

 

The ruling was a blow to the two federal workers’ unions that had filed suit, along with Oxfam, the international aid organization, in an effort to block the administration’s recall plan. The decision leaves open the possibility of an appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.  

 

“Today’s ruling is a setback but we remain committed to our USAID members and the valuable work they do,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. “We will continue to fight the administration’s illegal efforts to dismantle USAID.”  

 

Lauren Bateman of Public Citizen Litigation Group, who argued the case on behalf of the unions, did not specify whether an appeal was forthcoming but signaled that legal action would continue. “We will move expeditiously for further and permanent relief to stop the devastation,” she said.  

 

The ruling follows another decision last week by a different Washington judge who temporarily halted the administration’s attempt to freeze foreign aid grants and contracts managed by USAID and the State Department. Meanwhile, individuals holding personal services contracts with USAID have launched a separate legal challenge to prevent their agreements from being suspended or terminated. That case was recently reassigned to Nichols, and his ruling Friday suggests he may not grant emergency relief to those workers.  

 

Nichols’ decision did not constitute a final determination on whether the leave orders or anticipated mass layoffs were lawful. However, he noted that Congress had established legal mechanisms for federal employees to resolve employment disputes, and he indicated that the unions' lawsuit appeared to be an attempt to bypass those processes.  

 

Lawyers for the unions countered that the sheer number of affected employees made it impractical to pursue claims through federal civil service boards. They also argued that those panels were unlikely to act swiftly enough to mitigate the emergency situations many USAID personnel were now facing under the administration’s plan.

 

Based on a report by Politico  2025-02-24

 

 

 

Finally some leeway for Trump to continue his plight to eradicate the overspending and wastefulness of the taxpayers money. 

 

Good decision on the Judges part. The people filing charges are grasping at any reason they can to stop Trump whether valid or not. Just to tie him up so they he will be so busy fighting the courts that he will give up and let things simmer where they have been with the old man before. 

The Dems are going to find that they need to rethink and support what the people want rather than fight and make excuses to try to stop him. 

Well, I guess those with AIDS in Africa didn't need those medicines after all and it was a waste of US government money.

 

Said no one in the world.

Why don't you tell us just what the American people want since you know so much 

thesetat

24 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Well, I guess those with AIDS in Africa didn't need those medicines after all and it was a waste of US government money.

 

Said no one in the world.

AIDS has been around for almost 50 years I bet most Africans are well aware of it.  Yet, they still irresponsibly catch it and want other countries to pay for their poor judgement?  Maybe Africa 

should solve their corruption and fraud issues probably more then enough left for their AIDS patients.

""A Trump Appointee.""

 

Needs no further explanation. 

Music to the Chinese ears. China will thank Trump for the soft power vacuum to spend and boost their international image. 

3 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Music to the Chinese ears. China will thank Trump for the soft power vacuum to spend and boost their international image. 

 

Image? 

13 hours ago, Social Media said:

Nichols determined that initial concerns suggesting USAID staff and their families could face physical danger or have medical treatments disrupted were “overstated” upon closer examination.

Seems like this action was frivolous?  So, will the people who brought this action pay all court and lawyer costs so that tax payers' money is not wasted?

50 minutes ago, fdimike said:

Why don't you tell us just what the American people want since you know so much 

thesetat

•  

If you do not know by the results from the elections.. then maybe you need to go watch all the campaign promises that got Trump voted for...The ones he is doing now..

37 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

AIDS has been around for almost 50 years I bet most Africans are well aware of it.  Yet, they still irresponsibly catch it and want other countries to pay for their poor judgement?  Maybe Africa 

should solve their corruption and fraud issues probably more then enough left for their AIDS patients.

 

3 minutes ago, thesetat said:

If you do not know by the results from the elections.. then maybe you need to go watch all the campaign promises that got Trump voted for...The ones he is doing now..

Tell me you know nothing about that subject matter without telling me…

54 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Well, I guess those with AIDS in Africa didn't need those medicines after all and it was a waste of US government money.

 

Said no one in the world.

Plenty of other counties to give aid too. You concerned about AIDS in Africa like one of you fellow anti trumpers bannork was sonconcerned about Zimbabweans.... for 1 day.

Why not set you avatar to an African flag,