Judge blocks Elon Musk's DOGE from more USAID cuts, cites likely unconstitutionality

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) likely violated the Constitution by dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), indefinitely blocking DOGE from making further cuts.

The ruling requires the Trump administration to restore email and computer access to all USAID employees, including those on administrative leave. However, it does not reverse firings or fully reinstate the agency.

In one of the first lawsuits directly targeting Musk, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland rejected the Trump administration’s claim that Musk is merely an adviser to President Donald Trump.

Citing Musk’s public remarks and social media posts, Chuang found that Musk has “firm control over DOGE.” He highlighted a post in which Musk claimed to have “fed USAID into the wood chipper.”

The judge warned that USAID’s ability to fulfill its legal obligations had likely been compromised. “Taken together, these facts support the conclusion that USAID has been effectively eliminated,” Chuang wrote in the preliminary injunction.

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The lawsuit, filed by USAID employees and contractors, argued that Musk and DOGE were exercising powers reserved for elected or Senate-confirmed officials. Their lawyers said the ruling “effectively halts or reverses” many of DOGE’s actions against the agency.

The Trump administration maintains that DOGE was focused on identifying waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs — a key campaign promise during Trump's 2024 election bid. Neither the White House nor DOGE immediately commented on the ruling.

Musk, alongside Trump appointee Pete Marocco, played a major role in the two-month dismantling of USAID. In February, security officials at USAID were placed on