The fightback has officially begun. In the past week or so, several lawsuits were filed to challenge the dismantling of USAID, and there’s already been success. On Thursday, a judge ordered the Trump administration to reverse the funding freeze on existing programs. But much about how this will play out remains to be seen, and in the meantime, many organizations are struggling to hold out. We’ve already seen sizeable layoffs at Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Catholic Relief Services, and even the U.N. migration agency.
As Jim Richardson, who led the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance during the first Trump administration, said during a conversation with Devex Pro members last week: “This is certainly not the end of foreign assistance, or foreign aid, from the U.S. government. The courts are starting to weigh in, Congress hasn’t had its first hearing yet. … The question is whether the system will be irrevocably broken by then. I don’t know. I hope not.”
We’ll be joined by legal expert Robert Nichols on Feb. 18 for a flash briefing with our Pro members to discuss the current state of play with the legal filings and what happens next. The next stages could be critical for the future of USAID so please do join us.