A federal judge ordered Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reinstate most of USAID's operations on Tuesday, saying that the decision to gut the agency "likely violated the U.S. Constitution in multiple ways."
Concretely, Maryland District Judge Theodore D. Chuang said the actions "harmed not only Plaintiffs, but also the public interest, because they deprived the public's elected representatives in Congress of their constitutional authority to decide whether, when, and how to close down an agency created by Congress."
