Two unions representing employees of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his administration over the White House’s plan to drastically shrink the department’s staff.
On Thursday, USAID employees were told to expect the agency’s staff to drop from about 10,000 to less than 300 globally, according to US media reports.
The lawsuit filed by the labour groups in Washington DC argues the president does not have the authority to shut down the agency.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the US is “not walking away from foreign aid”. The BBC has asked the White House, the state department, USAID and the treasury department for comment.
The Trump administration has said USAID is wasting money and needs to align with the president’s policy priorities.
Thursday’s lawsuit was filed by the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). It is the first legal action related to Trump’s measures to cut USAID.
In addition to Trump, the lawsuit takes aim at the US state department, USAID, the treasury department, the secretary of state and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The lawsuit argues that the president is violating the Constitution and federal law by attempting to dismantle the agency.
“Not a single one of defendants’ actions to dismantle USAID were taken pursuant to congressional authorization,” the lawsuit says.
“And pursuant to federal statute, Congress is the only entity that may lawfully dismantle the agency.”
It calls for an independent acting director of USAID to be appointed, for USAID buildings to be reopened to employees, for the USAID website to be restored, for grants and contracts to be reinstated, and for mandatory evacuation notices to staff to be lifted.
It asks for a judge to immediately halt the implementation of the plan to “gut” USAID, which the lawsuit notes has been spearheaded by Elon Musk, due to the urgent need to resume to aid programmes.
“These actions have generated a global humanitarian crisis by abruptly halting the crucial work of USAID employees, grantees, and contractors. They have cost thousands of American jobs. And they have imperiled US national security interests,” the lawsuit says.
It comes as thousands of USAID workers expect to be put on administrative leave from Friday night.
On Wednesday, Rubio defended Trump’s moves against USAID, telling about 200 agency workers in Guatemala that the US does not plan to stop distributing aid to foreign countries. But he said that the programmes must align with US priorities.
“The United States is not walking away from foreign aid,” America’s top diplomat said. “It’s not.
“We’re going to continue to provide foreign aid and to be involved in programmes, but it has to be programmes that we can defend.”
“It has to be programmes that we can explain. It has to be programmes that we can justify. Otherwise, we do endanger foreign aid.”
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