Headline Roundup • March 19th, 2025
Federal Judge Blocks DOGE's Dismantling of USAID
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from continuing its efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Key Details: DOGE, under Elon Musk's leadership, had been attempting to halt USAID operations, arguing that the agency was being used as a slush fund by Democrats and the political class. The judge's ruling orders DOGE to restore thousands of USAID employees who have been cut off from the agency. It also prohibits DOGE from disclosing the personal information of the employees. See more on the fight over USAID and the rest of DOGE's latest actions on our live blog.
For Context: USAID was created by President John F. Kennedy via executive order. It is responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 billion, USAID is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world, and accounts for more than half of all U.S. foreign assistance.
How the Media Covered It: Townhall (Right bias) framed the judge's ruling as an example of judicial overreach. It argued that the order was based on the assertion that Congress created USAID when it was created by an executive order. Daily Kos (Left) argued that the agency was founded by Congress and that Congress should not be deprived of their authority to decide the fate of USAID. It hailed the judge's decision as a victory against Musk and DOGE's purportedly illegal efforts to shut down USAID.
Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more.
Featured Coverage of this Story
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
These little judges are out of control. Tuesday marked a hellacious day where judicial overreach was all the rage. The Department of Government Efficiency under Elon Musk was ordered to cease all operations on the curtailment of USAID, the slush fund Democrats and the political class used to provide their friends with exorbitant amounts of largesse. The judge alleges that Congress created USAID, but that's not accurate. President John F. Kennedy created the agency via executive order (via WaPo):
A federal judge in Maryland on Tuesday temporarily blocked billionaire Elon Musk...
AP
Another day, another judge handing another defeat to Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang released a 68-page decision in favor of unnamed current and former U.S. Agency for International Development employees and contractors who challenged Musk and DOGE’s efforts to illegally close down the department.
In his decision, Chuang wrote that the defendants “likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways” and that “they deprived the public's elected representatives in Congress of their constitutional authority to decide whether, when, and how to close down...
EPA
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from taking any further steps to shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
In a ruling Tuesday, Judge Theodore Chuang said the efforts led by Trump ally Elon Musk's Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) to close the agency likely violated the US constitution "in multiple ways".
Chuang ordered Doge to restore access to USAID's computer and payment systems for employees, including those who were placed on leave.
The judge also ruled that termination of USAID employees should stop, but did...
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