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Another judicial hurdle for Trump's decisions: Court halts execution

The decision to place U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees on 'administrative leave' has been blocked by the courts. The Washington DC District Court has issued a stay of execution regarding Trump's administrative leave order.

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U.S. President Donald Trump had decided last Tuesday night to place USAID employees on mandatory leave. The Washington DC District Court announced that the execution of the administrative leave practice has been temporarily halted. According to the ruling, the 2,200 USAID employees sent on leave by Trump will return to work on Monday.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by American businessman and owner of X, Elon Musk, alleged following its investigations that USAID had become a hub for corruption and money laundering operations. Following this development, Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday night placing the agency's employees on mandatory leave.

While reports in the U.S. press claimed that the number of over 10,000 USAID employees would be reduced to approximately 300, unions representing federal employees took the Trump administration's decision regarding USAID to court yesterday. The Washington DC District Court temporarily halted the execution of the mandatory leave practice while the case is being heard.

According to CNN, Washington DC District Court Judge Carl Nichols stated that the decision to place approximately 2,200 USAID employees on administrative leave has been temporarily stayed. Nichols also ruled that approximately 500 employees who had been removed from their posts should temporarily return to their duties.

The ruling also included the statement, 'No USAID employee shall be withdrawn from the country where they are stationed before February 14.'

USAID employees opposing Trump's executive order held protests in Washington. Democratic politicians also supported the protests.

CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS AGAINST USAID

Immediately after taking office on January 21, Trump signed an executive order regarding foreign aid. The order noted that the U.S. would cut payments to be made to foreign countries by all ministries and agencies responsible for foreign development assistance programs, and that a 90-day review period had been initiated to evaluate the program's alignment with U.S. foreign policy.

The U.S. Department of State also announced on January 27 that all foreign aid funded by the Department and USAID had been suspended. Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced that employees were placed on administrative leave due to issues he had with USAID executives. The agency's social media accounts were also shut down.

Later, President Trump and Musk made statements suggesting that USAID should be closed.

Reacting to payments reportedly made to the Associated Press (AP) news agency and the New York Times (NYT) newspaper, Musk commented that the payment made to the AP was a 'waste of taxpayer money.' Regarding the payment made to the NYT, Musk used the phrase 'NYT is government-funded media.'