Did a Trump executive order just cripple the global US regime change network?
GrayzoneFEB 1
Judge Blocks Trump's USAID Funding Freeze
Above: A logo is seen inside the headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, DC. Image copyright: Pete Kiehart/Contributor/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The Facts
In response to a lawsuit filed by health organizations, US District Judge Amir Ali ordered US Pres. Donald Trump's administration to temporarily lift its three-week funding freeze on foreign aid programs, specifically addressing contracts that existed prior to Jan. 19.
The Trump administration previously ordered an immediate halt to nearly all US foreign assistance, resulting in thousands of US Agency for International Development (USAID) employees and contractors being fired, furloughed, or placed on administrative leave.
In a separate case, US District Judge Carl Nichols extended an order preventing the administration's plan to withdraw most USAID staff worldwide, expressing particular concern about the safety of employees on leave in high-risk overseas areas.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This ruling is a critical lifeline for global aid as USAID's work is vital, from preventing child starvation in Nigeria to controlling Ebola outbreaks in Uganda. Trump and Musk's actions, driven by unverified claims of fraud, risk lives and undermine US strategic interests by weakening its humanitarian response capabilities. This ruling safeguards not just foreign aid but also the United State's national security and moral standing in the world.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Trump administration is curbing an agency that often supported regime change coups around the globe. USAID has delivered humanitarian aid to many parts of the globe, but it also has been the CIA's unofficial funding mechanism to covertly bankroll operations Congress would generally not approve. There are establishment critical voices on both the right and left who have long been concerned about the role of US intelligence agencies lurking under the veneer of humanitarian assistance.