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A federal judge in Maryland decided that the Trump administration’s efforts to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are likely to be unconstitutional and ultimately ordered the agency to restore its legal function.
On Tuesday, US District Judge Theodore Chuan concluded “Doge’s efforts to close USAID on an accelerated basis, including the obvious decision to permanently close USAID headquarters without the approval of a duly appointed USAID officer.
Chuan said these actions “because they not only hurt the plaintiffs, but also hurt the public interest, but also deprived Congressional elected representatives of their constitutional authority to decide when, when and how the institutions created by Congress are to be closed.”
The judge issued an interim injunction blocking Doge and the administration from further lawsuits against USAID. This will likely appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, then to the Supreme Court.
Federal judge orders the Trump administration to pay “illegally” restricted USAID funds
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In his ruling, Obama’s bench appointee in 2014, Chuang ordered an immediate recovery of email and computer access to all USAID employees, including administrative leave.
Doge is prohibited from further reductions to USAID.
The lawsuit was filed by current and former agency employees and contractors.
Chuan’s decision was only given when the judge ruled that Musk likely exercised enough independent powers to require him to be confirmed by the Senate under the provisions of the constitutional appointment, Hill reported.
Scotus controls roughly $20 billion in Frozen USAID payments
The decision comes after another federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay the remaining foreign aid to be borne by contractors for the work completed, and the administration found it violated the separation of power that it “illegally locks up” by nearly $2 billion in Congress-allocated funds.
US District Court appointee Judge Amir Ali said in a ruling that the Trump administration likely exceeded its constitutional authority when trying to block payments due by the State Department and the USAID, which granted beneficiaries and foreign aid contractors.
A former USAID employee will leave the Washington, DC headquarters building on February 27th. Layoffs are made after Doge’s organizational analysis and recommendations for mass layoffs. (Lee Green from Fox News Digital)
“Here, executives unilaterally believe that the Parliamentary funds allocated for foreign aid will not be spent,” Ali said. “As well as assert the constitutional authority to determine how the allocated funds are to be spent, it also deprives the Congress of its exclusive authority to direct whether or not the funds should be used first.”
Ali had previously ordered the Trump administration to pay full foreign aid funds for previously completed work.
USAID Head Peter Marrocco tells lawmakers he is focusing on potential criminal charges for foreign aid fraud: Report
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The Supreme Court took up the emergency review case last week but ruled 5-4 to reject the administration’s request to extend the freeze. Instead, the court remanded the case to DC Federal Court and ALI, hashed details of when it must be paid.
USAID aid was an early target of the Trump administration, and the president was a longtime critic of overseas spending, claiming it would not benefit American taxpayers and would go to the point of calling people running top agencies “radical madmen.”
Dismissed USAID staff carry messages with them when they leave their agency’s office in Washington, DC on February 21 (Reuters/Briance Nyder)
Republicans argue that it is in vain, promote liberal agendas and surround themselves with the State Department, but Democrats say they help our interests by saving lives overseas and stabilizing other countries and economies.
Overall, the Trump administration said it would eliminate 5,800 of its 6,200-year USAID contract awards with a cut of $54 billion. A $4.4 billion cut had eliminated 4,100 of the 9,100 State Department grants, according to a State Department memo reviewed by the Associated Press.
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USAID has discovered several examples of suspicious spending in USAID, including more than $900,000 for a Gaza-based terrorcharity called the Bayader Environmental Development Association, including a $1.5 million programme that is scheduled to “diversity, equity and inclusion in the Serbian workplace and business community.”
Michael Dorgan of Fox News Digital and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, murder, national crime cases, illegal immigration and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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