{"id":2400461,"date":"2025-02-07T17:33:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T22:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-shields-2200-usaid-employees-from-being-put-on-leave-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-07T17:35:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T22:35:03","slug":"federal-judge-shields-2200-usaid-employees-from-being-put-on-leave-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-shields-2200-usaid-employees-from-being-put-on-leave-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal judge shields 2,200 USAID employees from being put on leave &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffederal-judge-shields-2200-usaid-employees-from-being-put-on-leave-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2400461&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A federal \u200bjudge has granted a limited order too \u2063protect 2,200 employees of \u200dthe U.S. Agency \u2064for\u2063 international Advancement (USAID) from \u2062being\u2063 placed on leave or relocated as part of the Trump governance&#8217;s\u2063 restructuring efforts. U.S.District Judge Carl Nichols issued this restraining order in response to a lawsuit filed by the American\u200d Federation of Government employees and the american Foreign\u200d Service Association, which argued that the administration&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">actions violated federal law<\/a> and threatened humanitarian initiatives. While the ruling provides \u200dsome temporary relief, it does not prevent the broader changes proposed by the administration,\u2062 which aims to substantially downsize USAID, reportedly reducing its workforce from over 10,000 to just 611 essential employees. The restructuring has already led to halted projects, system disruptions, and\u200c layoffs, prompting\u200d concerns among Congress and unions about potential impacts on U.S. \u200dforeign policy. The Department of Justice is\u2064 expected to appeal the ruling\u200c for a more extensive\u200c victory in court.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Federal judge shields 2,200 USAID employees from being put on leave<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1983139\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A federal judge on Friday issued a&nbsp;limited&nbsp;order shielding 2,200 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3308367\/what-to-know-musk-weekend-efforts-suffocate-usaid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">U.S. Agency for International Development<\/a> employees from being placed on leave or abruptly relocated but stopped short of blocking the Trump administration&rsquo;s broader overhaul of the agency.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, an appointee of President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a>, said he would enter a&nbsp;&ldquo;very limited&rdquo;&nbsp;restraining order in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Foreign Service Association, which argued that the administration&rsquo;s actions violated federal law and threatened global humanitarian efforts. Nichols said he will decide later tonight as to whether an additional 500 agency staff already on leave would remain there or be reinstated.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Employees and supporters protest outside the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, after Elon Musk posted on social media that he and President Donald Trump would shut down the agency. (Bill Clark\/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-blocks-indiana-law-protecting-children-from-life-altering-transgender-procedures\/\" title=\"Federal ... halts Indiana law safeguarding children from life-altering transgender procedures.\">ruling temporarily halts<\/a> the forced leave and relocations of the USAID personnel who were part of the suit, but&nbsp;it does not fully block Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/david-harsanyi-the-putins-price-hike-canard\/\" title=\"David Harsanyi: The \u201cPutin\u2019s Price Hike\u201d Canard\">executive order pausing<\/a> U.S. foreign aid or the administration&rsquo;s plans to restructure the agency.<\/p>\n<p>While Nichols&rsquo;s order provides temporary relief for thousands of employees, the decision leaves intact much of the administration&rsquo;s plan, which aimed to downsize dramatically the federal agency that previously staffed over 10,000 personnel.<\/p>\n<p>The USAID building&rsquo;s signage was entirely removed on Friday,&nbsp;a stark symbol of the administration&rsquo;s sweeping changes. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Unburdened by what has been. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NK2bcK3hlH\">pic.twitter.com\/NK2bcK3hlH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DOGE\/status\/1887959408555995416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>The X account for the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire&nbsp;Elon Musk, posted photos of the stripped-down building with the caption&nbsp;&ldquo;Unburdened by what has been.&rdquo;&nbsp;The apparent reference to former Vice President Kamala Harris&rsquo;s quote, paired with the rapid dismantling of agency branding, sent a clear signal that the administration&rsquo;s overhaul is moving forward despite legal challenges.<\/p>\n<p>The restructuring has already led to&nbsp;the suspension of USAID projects worldwide, disruptions in agency computer systems, and mass layoffs.&nbsp;In an earlier notice to employees, USAID said it planned to retain only&nbsp;611 essential workers out of its&nbsp;10,000-person&nbsp;global workforce.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At one point during the afternoon hearing, Nichols asked whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as acting USAID administrator, has authority to immediately recall workers. Lawyers with the Department of Justice told the judge they believe that the secretary has &ldquo;broad authority&rdquo; over foreign affairs as well as diplomats and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minority-employees-slam-house-dem-plan-to-boost-diversity-at-state-department\/\" title=\"Minority Employees Slam House Dem Plan To Boost Diversity at State Department\">foreign service officers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;DOJ is likely to appeal to achieve a broader win in court,&nbsp;while unions have vowed to continue launching legal challenges.&nbsp;Congressional Democrats are calling for emergency hearings,&nbsp;warning that the restructuring could have far-reaching consequences for U.S. foreign policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1983139\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1983139\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Federal judge protects 2,200 USAID employees from leave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2400462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/020325_USAID_PROTEST-5-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38199,33791,32546,16381],"class_list":["post-2400461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-employee-rights","tag-federal-judge","tag-legal-decision","tag-usaid"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/020325_USAID_PROTEST-5-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2400461"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2400465,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400461\/revisions\/2400465"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2400462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2400461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2400461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2400461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}