Latest news with #LaurenBateman
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
USAID contractors ask judge to hold Trump admin in civil contempt for violating order to lift spending freeze
A coalition of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contractors and nonprofits who claim President Trump's executive order to freeze foreign aid could irreparably harm their operations have asked a federal judge to hold the Trump administration in civil contempt. The request comes after the administration said in court filings that it is not paying out funds for thousands of foreign aid grants and contracts despite the judge's order to lift the sweeping freeze. 'This Court should not brook such brazen defiance of the express terms of its order,' wrote Lauren Bateman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. The contractors sued the Trump administration earlier this month, alleging they were collectively waiting on hundreds of millions of dollars in outstanding invoices from the government. Two other nonprofits then filed a complaint alleging Trump's executive order violated the separation of powers and has caused irreparable harm to their operations, which rely heavily on USAID funding. Last week, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered the government to temporarily cease efforts to terminate foreign aid contracts and grants in place before Trump returned to the White House. He also blocked the administration from issuing or enforcing terminations, suspensions or stop-work orders in connection with any federal foreign aid awards in existence before Inauguration Day. But late Tuesday, the administration wrote in court filings that keeping the aid frozen does not run afoul of the judge's order, pointing to a line that reads 'nothing in this order shall prohibit the Restrained Defendants from enforcing the terms of contracts and grants.' The administration said it had 'worked diligently' to comply and had 'not yet identified' any termination, suspension or stop-work order on USAID contracts or grants that were not allowed under the judge's order, given the apparent caveat. The contractors and nonprofits called the government's assertion 'remarkable,' conveying disbelief that the government could conclude that terminating nearly all foreign aid was legal despite the court's 'unambiguous' order. They pointed to Trump's Feb. 15 commentary on social media that 'He who saves his Country does not violate any Law' as proof the president sought to 'flout his obligation to comply with the Constitution and the law.' 'Here, Defendants are plainly in violation of the TRO,' Bateman wrote. The plaintiffs asked the judge to order the administration to comply and immediately reimburse foreign aid recipients, in addition to finding it in civil contempt. USAID, which administers billions of dollars in foreign aid each year, has faced blistering attacks and has been systematically dismantled by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), seemingly spearheaded but not formally led by billionaire Elon Musk. A different federal judge temporarily blocked the government from placing hundreds of USAID employees on administrative leave and recalling many from their posts around the world as part of a separate lawsuit. He is weighing whether broader restrictions should be imposed while litigation is ongoing in that lawsuit but has not yet ruled. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
19-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
USAID contractors ask judge to hold Trump admin in civil contempt for violating order to lift spending freeze
A coalition of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contractors and nonprofits who claim President Trump's executive order to freeze foreign aid could irreparably harm their operations have asked a federal judge to hold the Trump administration in civil contempt. The request comes after the administration said in court filings that it is not paying out funds for thousands of foreign aid grants and contracts despite the judge's order to lift the sweeping freeze. 'This Court should not brook such brazen defiance of the express terms of its order,' wrote Lauren Bateman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. The contractors sued the Trump administration earlier this month, alleging they were collectively waiting on hundreds of millions of dollars in outstanding invoices from the government. Two other nonprofits then filed a complaint alleging Trump's executive order violated the separation of powers and has caused irreparable harm to their operations, which rely heavily on USAID funding. Last week, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered the government to temporarily cease efforts to terminate foreign aid contracts and grants in place before Trump returned to the White House. He also blocked the administration from issuing or enforcing terminations, suspensions or stop-work orders in connection with any federal foreign aid awards in existence before Inauguration Day. But late Tuesday, the administration wrote in court filings that keeping the aid frozen does not run afoul of the judge's order, pointing to a line that reads 'nothing in this order shall prohibit the Restrained Defendants from enforcing the terms of contracts and grants.' The administration said it had 'worked diligently' to comply and had 'not yet identified' any termination, suspension or stop-work order on USAID contracts or grants that were not allowed under the judge's order, given the apparent caveat. The contractors and nonprofits called the government's assertion 'remarkable,' conveying disbelief that the government could conclude that terminating nearly all foreign aid was legal despite the court's 'unambiguous' order. They pointed to Trump's Feb. 15 commentary on social media that 'He who saves his Country does not violate any Law' as proof the president sought to 'flout his obligation to comply with the Constitution and the law.' 'Here, Defendants are plainly in violation of the TRO,' Bateman wrote. The plaintiffs asked the judge to order the administration to comply and immediately reimburse foreign aid recipients, in addition to finding it in civil contempt. USAID, which administers billions of dollars in foreign aid each year, has faced blistering attacks and has been systematically dismantled by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), seemingly spearheaded but not formally led by billionaire Elon Musk. A different federal judge temporarily blocked the government from placing hundreds of USAID employees on administrative leave and recalling many from their posts around the world as part of a separate lawsuit. He is weighing whether broader restrictions should be imposed while litigation is ongoing in that lawsuit but has not yet ruled.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nonprofits sue Trump administration for freezing foreign aid
A liberal-leaning advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday seeking to halt the freeze on foreign aid the administration has imposed. The group, Public Citizen, argues the freeze on funds appropriated by Congress is unlawful and is endangering lives abroad. 'When programs like the ones run by our clients are abruptly shuttered, the impacts are felt throughout the world — with the most vulnerable people bearing the deadliest impact,' Public Citizen attorney Lauren Bateman, the lead lawyer on the case, said in a statement. The Trump administration's sudden halt on U.S. foreign aid last month caused chaos and confusion inside groups providing a range of assistance to other countries, from providing health care to removing land mines. The funding freeze led to mass layoffs at contractors who work for the government, as well as grantees. They warned the freeze would decimate the firms that carry out the work and significantly hamper the government's ability to deliver foreign aid in the future. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the freeze was necessary to review U.S. foreign aid spending and ensure that it aligns with President Donald Trump's 'America First' foreign policy. The administration has pointed to grants and contracts it says don't meet that definition and, in the administration's view, seek to advance progressive causes, like LGBTQ+ rights. But global health and development advocates warned that the sudden stop to existing grants and contracts was unnecessary and cruel and would make the U.S. look unreliable, potentially leading countries that benefit from American foreign aid to turn to U.S. rivals like China. Public Citizen filed the lawsuit in federal district court in Washington on behalf of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, or AVAC, and the Journalism Development Network, or JDN. AVAC is a New York-based nonprofit which received a grant from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, better known as PEPFAR, to support biomedical HIV prevention research in Africa. JDN received grants from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to help foreign journalists do their work. Both organizations have been unable to access grant funding since the freeze, Public Citizen wrote in its complaint. AVAC has laid off 7 of its 46 employees, while JDN has laid off a fifth of its staff, according to the complaint.
