A federal judge has blocked Elon Musk and his DOGE team from any work related to shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), calling their actions a “violation of the Constitution.”
District Judge Theodore Chuang issued a preliminary injunction that prohibits Musk and his team from accessing USAID’s systems or taking any steps to dismantle the agency. This decision follows a lawsuit filed by fired USAID employees and contractors, who argue that Musk, the world’s richest man, has been using unconstitutional power to weaken federal agencies.
The lawsuit claims that Musk, who once said he wanted to put USAID “in a wood chipper,” has been overstepping his authority under President Donald Trump. The judge’s ruling suggests that Musk’s involvement in the dismantling of USAID may violate constitutional principles, including the separation of powers. Chuang noted that Musk, despite not holding any official position, appeared to be exercising significant authority, potentially making decisions as if he were in charge of the government agency.
“This case is an important victory against Elon Musk and his DOGE attack on USAID, the United States’ government, and the Constitution,” said Norm Eisen, executive chair of State Democracy Defenders Fund, which filed the lawsuit. “They are performing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel, harming not just the people USAID serves but also the majority of Americans who count on the stability of our government.”
The ruling also orders Musk and his team to reinstate access to USAID’s email and payment systems for employees and contractors and prevents them from taking any further actions to shutter the agency. This includes halting any attempts to fire workers, close buildings, or remove signage from the agency’s Washington headquarters. The court has also given Musk and DOGE two weeks to ensure that agency staff can return to their offices.
The judge’s decision represents a significant step in ongoing legal challenges regarding the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid and its purging of federal employees.
Chuang’s ruling suggests that Musk’s actions go beyond USAID, with his DOGE team also targeting other government agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In addition, Musk’s team has been accused of firing staff at the Department of Agriculture and the National Nuclear Security Administration without proper authority.
The court has also ordered DOGE to comply with public records requests, with another judge, District Judge Christopher Cooper, criticizing the administration for evading transparency. Cooper suggested that DOGE has been operating in secrecy, qualifying itself as an official government entity only when it suits its agenda.
The judge’s decision to block Musk and DOGE is seen as a major check on the billionaire’s influence and a strong defense of the U.S. government’s stability and constitutional boundaries. As the legal battle continues, this ruling signals that attempts to bypass legal and constitutional norms in the pursuit of dismantling federal agencies will not go unchecked.
