A federal judge on March 6 ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration can fire contractors working for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols said the contractors had not proved that the terminations amounted to irreparable harm, and that the court likely lacked jurisdiction to hear the case, characterizing it as a contract dispute.
The Personal Services Contractor Association (PSC) sued on Feb. 18, alleging that the Trump administration went beyond its authority to freeze the agency’s foreign aid and worldwide development funding without consulting Congress. The administration has announced plans to cancel over 90 percent of USAID’s contracts and grants.
The association said the loss of infrastructure has resulted in “havoc,” as some overseas contractors have lost utilities, health care, and are facing eviction because the U.S. government is no longer paying those bills.
Although the administration has offered a blanket waiver for USAID’s food and medicine programs, the plaintiffs allege that a lack of communication and staff has crippled the agency’s aid contracts and disbursement programs.
Carolyn Shapiro, attorney for PSC, argued at a March 5 hearing that the damage could not be remedied later by reimbursements, or by reassembling USAID in