A judge suspends Trump’s plans to leave thousands of USAID officials in leave | International

A federal judge has ordered this Friday to suspend the US government plan to leave 2,200 USAID officials, the Federal Development Cooperation Agency, just hours before the measure was to enter into force. These leaves are a key piece in the White House strategy for the bureaucratic spending cut that leads billionaire Elon Musk, head of the Government Efficiency Department (Doge), to dismantle a government agency that they consider “corrupt” and full of “Radical liberals.”

“They should not put those 2,200 people in administrative leave,” said District Judge Carl Nichols – nominated by US President Donald Trump – in a view held this Friday in Washington. The magistrate also weighs if they cancel the leave already formalized from another 500 USAID workers. The republican plans for the agency are, ultimately, that the institution’s workforce passes around 10,000 workers before arrival at the White House to 294.

The federal agency, the largest in the world in the field of cooperation, disburse every year about 44,000 million dollars (a similar figure in euros) for projects that cover from humanitarian aid to the fight against traffic of people. Millions of people depend on their projects to survive.

But both Musk and Trump have lashed out against Usaid by considering that the money he invests in projects abroad is a “waste”. The US president ordered two weeks ago the freezing of almost all American external aid while a 90 -day review of the validity of each project is carried out.

This Monday, USAID officials began the week with the website of the inoperative agency, and a message in their emails that notified them that their central Washington offices were closed and they had to telework. A day later, a notification overturned on the agency’s website – the only content that can be accessed in it – warned them that they would be in a situation of leaves from this Friday. Employees who are under contract will be terminated; Those who are destined abroad will be repatriated in a month.