Exclusive: USAID team lead calls on staffers to ignore stop-work order

A USAID team lead in the Middle East and North Africa region has called on diplomats, aid workers, and U.S. State Department staffers to “refuse to comply” with the Trump administration’s stop-work order. “We must refuse to be ordered to throw our oaths of office in the trash by an unelected oligarch or his cronies,” the team lead said in a speech to internal staff, referring to Elon Musk who heads the Department of Government Efficiency. “Collective refusal is the most lawful and ethical course of action,” they added. The team lead said the stop-work order is unlawful and that neither USAID nor the State Department allow for “forced departure.” “If we comply without legal review, we may set a dangerous precedent that weakens due process and opens the door to more illegal actions.” --— Anonymous USAID team lead When U.S. President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, he immediately announced a freeze on foreign aid, which was quickly followed by a stop-work order that halted billions of dollars in foreign assistance projects. The administration then unveiled plans to downsize parts of USAID, with some functions being absorbed by the State Department and others set for complete dissolution. Thousands of staffers were set to be placed on administrative leave, with those stationed overseas being recalled to the U.S. But unions representing USAID employees filed a lawsuit on Thursday arguing that the Trump administration’s actions to shutter the agency are unconstitutional. On Friday, a federal judge in Washington issued a temporary restraining order blocking Secretary of State Marco Rubio from placing 2,200 employees on administrative leave at 11:59 that night. It also required that the order to recall all USAID workers serving abroad be halted. The team lead called not only for legal action but an overall call to action to reject Trump’s orders and demand due process. “If we comply without legal review, we may set a dangerous precedent that weakens due process and opens the door to more illegal actions.” The leader delivered the remarks during the first all-hands meeting with staffers after the order was given. “Everyone was crying. So was I by the end of it,” they told Devex. The speech came just before the country’s mission director had a meeting with the ambassador. The lead told Devex that they believe the mission director was already leaning toward asking for legal clarification on the order.