A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday blocked billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency from further dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, saying it likely violated the Constitution.
In a preliminary ruling, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland ordered President Donald Trump's adviser Musk and DOGE to restore access to USAID's computer systems for the agency's direct and contract employees, including thousands who have been placed on leave.
The evidence suggests that Musk made decisions to shut down USAID's headquarters and website despite the administration's claim that he was merely President Donald Trump's advisor, Chaung found.
Musk's public statements and social media posts demonstrate that he has "firm control over DOGE," the judge concluded.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit by current and former employees, one of several currently pending over the rapid dismantling of the foreign aid agency.
The judge acknowledged that it's likely that USAID is no longer capable of performing some of its statutorily required functions.
"Taken together, these facts support the conclusion that USAID has been effectively eliminated," Chuang wrote in the preliminary injunction.
The lawsuit filed by attorneys for USAID employees and contractors singled out Musk as a defendant, arguing that he was wielding power the Constitution reserves only for those who win elections or are confirmed by the Senate.
The administration has said that DOGE is searching for and rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, consistent with the campaign message that helped Trump win the 2024 election.
In February, the Trump administration placed all but a fraction of USAID's worldwide staff on leave and notified at least 1,600 of its U.S.-based staffers they were being fired.
The effort to gut the six-decade-old aid agency was part of a broader push to eradicate the foreign aid agency and most of its humanitarian and development programs abroad.
Trump on Inauguration Day issued an executive order directing a freeze of foreign assistance funding and a review of all U.S. aid and development work abroad. Trump charged that much of foreign assistance was wasteful and advanced a liberal agenda.
The White House and DOGE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit was filed by the State Democracy Defenders Fund. Norm Eisen, the nonprofit's executive chair, called the ruling a milestone in pushback to DOGE.
"They are performing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel, harming not just the people USAID serves but the majority of Americans who count on the stability of our government," he said in a statement.
The United Nations migration agency said Tuesday it is scaling back and suspending lifesaving projects around the world and firing staff following an "unprecedented" 30% funding cut led mainly by the U.S.
"The reduction in funding has severe impacts on vulnerable migrant communities, exacerbating humanitarian crises and undermining vital support systems for displaced populations," the International Organization for Migration, based in Geneva, said in a statement.
The roughly $1.1 billion funding cut will halt dozens of projects, including food and health care for Rohingya refugees in Thailand, a program that reunited trafficking victims with their families in the U.S., and emergency aid to more than 40,000 people affected by conflict and cyclones in Mozambique, according to an IOM spokesperson.
Cholera prevention, distribution of emergency shelters and medical care in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions of people have been displaced by conflict and famine, would also be cut.
"The world is witnessing historic displacement levels, yet funding to address the root causes of displacement is shrinking," IOM said.
The agency, led by American Amy Pope, got more than 40% of its $3.4 billion budget in 2023 from the U.S.
To minimize the impact of budget cuts on migrants and displaced persons, IOM said it will restructure, relocating staff to cheaper locations and reducing its headquarters personnel by more than 20%. Over 6,000 employees worldwide will be affected.
"We recognize the necessary impact these decisions will have on colleagues who have dedicated years to IOM's mission, many of whom will lose their jobs," the statement said.
The IOM measures announced Tuesday are just the latest in a series of funding cuts upending the humanitarian sector and impacting some of the most fragile regions of the world after the Trump administration vowed to eliminate more than 90% of foreign aid contracts and cut some $60 billion in funding.
