Crews were seen removing the sign from the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Friday, as the Trump administration moved to put thousands of workers on leave and dramatically reduce the agency’s workforce.
While those crews plucked letters off the outside of the building on Pennsylvania Ave., some of USAID’s civil servants gathered with lawyers in D.C.’s federal courthouse to request a pause on the freeze.
The pause, officially called a “temporary restraining order,” would prevent the administrative leave set to begin at 11:59 p.m. on Friday night. That leave would affect thousands of USAID employees.
The request is for a temporary pause, put in place “until the Court is able to further consider” the legality of the Trump administration’s actions.
“Defendants have violated the Constitution and federal law through their systematic shutdown of USAID,” the plaintiffs said of the administration in the court brief. “If the shutdown is allowed to continue, Plaintiffs and their members will suffer increased risks to their physical safety, irreparable harm to their health and family lives, exposure to legal liability, and devastating financial consequences, among other injuries.”
“The public interest demands that USAID be permitted to continue operating to avoid further loss of jobs, deliver critical medical, food, and other aid, and prevent the potential loss of life while Plaintiffs’ claims are pending,” they write.
On Thursday, two sources familiar with Trump administration plans told NBC News that USAID’s more than 5,000 foreign service officers, civil servants and personal service contractors currently employed at the agency will be reduced to about 290 workers.
Thousands of USAID employees learned they would be placed on administrative leave starting at 11:59 p.m. on Friday through a message posted on USAID.gov earlier this week.
During the hearing, the plaintiffs asked “for an immediate pause of further evacuation orders internationally, any administrative leave, any access be restored to USAID computer systems,” citing concerns that the sudden freeze creates an “information vaccuum” for the employees.
“In some cases, their diplomatic immunity privileges have been revoked, which places them at even greater risk,” said attorney Karla Gilbride.
According to the Department of Justice during the hearing, 2,200 employees will be put on administrative paid leave at 11:59 p.m. Friday. 500 employees are already on leave, and 611 other employees deemed “essential personnel” will remain.
The USAID website’s memo didn’t specify which employees are considered essential.
USAID personnel overseas were given 30 days to return to the United States. Workers living in foreign countries can apply for a waiver to stay longer, if they have a special circumstance like children needing to finish out the school year.
USAID is in charge of many foreign health projects, including health clinics, clean drinking water and food assistance for people in poverty.
President Donald Trump’s administration has criticized USAID for what it calls wasteful spending.
from Local – NBC4 Washington https://ift.tt/tuwgkSD
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