US Court Orders Halt to USAID Dissolution, Blocking Government Restructuring

"Unconstitutionality Possible" for Musk-Led Department of Government Efficiency

A U.S. court has indicated that the process led by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to dismantle the international aid agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), may be unconstitutional.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News.

According to the Associated Press and others on the 18th (local time), U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction ordering Musk and DOGE to halt further actions aimed at closing USAID.

The judge instructed that access rights be restored so that current USAID employees, including those on leave, can use the computer systems again, and that a plan be developed to reassign employees who were removed from the agency's premises.

The judge stated that Musk's attempt to dismantle USAID is likely unconstitutional. He also ruled that Musk's actions have deprived Congress of its authority to oversee the dissolution of an agency established through legislation.

During last year's presidential election, Musk donated campaign funds to President Trump and was appointed head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, leading efforts to dismantle government organizations including USAID and reduce civil servants.

There has been controversy over Musk, who is not an elected official, exercising such authority, and the plaintiffs in this lawsuit challenged Musk's legal authority. The plaintiffs also alleged that Musk and DOGE staff attempted to access government operations without legal permission and intimidated civil servants who resisted such attempts.

In response, Department of Justice attorneys argued that Musk and DOGE staff had no official authority, and that it was the leadership of USAID, not them, who downsized the organization and placed employees on leave.

Meanwhile, the White House explained that amid controversy over Musk's legal authority, he is merely a White House advisor, and that government restructuring was carried out by executive officials with the proper authority.

The New York Times (NYT) noted that the judiciary acted to check Musk, who enjoys President Trump's trust. However, it analyzed that since many USAID employees have already been dismissed and most projects discontinued, the impact of this ruling on the USAID organization remains unclear.

The NYT explained that this ruling only determined that Musk does not have the authority to dismantle USAID, but that the dismantling can continue if authorized by officials with legal authority.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.