Appeals court clears way for DOGE to keep operating at USAID

U.S. Agency for International Development flag. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A federal appeals court on Friday (March 28, 2025) lifted an order blocking Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from further cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The three-judge panel ruled the government is likely to show that DOGE’s involvement doesn’t violate the Constitution because most of the cuts at U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were approved by Trump administration officials.

The appeals court halted a ruling from U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland. He found DOGE’s moves to dismantle the agency were likely illegal because Mr. Musk was wielding power that the Constitution reserves for people who are elected or confirmed by the Senate.

Mr. Chuang had required the Trump administration to restore email and computer access to USAID employees, including those put on administrative leave, though he stopped short of reversing firings or fully resurrecting the agency.