A federal judge ruled that the abrupt shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was likely unconstitutional, marking a significant setback for the Trump administration’s aggressive cost-cutting agenda.
U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang, in a 68-page decision, ordered the reinstatement of email and electronic system access for USAID employees and barred Musk and DOGE from further actions to dismantle the agency without proper authorization.
The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by more than two dozen current and former USAID employees and contractors, who argued that Musk and DOGE overstepped their authority by unilaterally shuttering the agency. Judge Chuang found that their actions likely violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and the separation of powers, asserting that only Congress has the authority to eliminate an agency it created.
Musk, a billionaire and key adviser to President Donald Trump, has led DOGE since Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, tasked with slashing federal spending.
