The Trump administration’s efforts to disrupt, shrink or dismantle vast portions of the federal government continued apace Friday. President Trump today told reporters that Elon Musk’s DOGE would also target the Pentagon as well as the Department of Education and “just about everything.” Asked if there are any limits on Musk’s effort, Trump said, “Well, we haven’t discussed that much” before praising the DOGE team. Trump also claimed that Musk is finding “tremendous fraud and corruption and waste.”
Still, some of Trump and Musk’s efforts continue to face pushback from the courts. A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked parts of the administration’s plan to shut down the United States Agency for International Development, pausing a directive placing 2,200 USAID employees on administrative leave as of tonight. The administration plans would reduce employment at the agency from about 10,000 workers and contractors to about 600.
The court ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by labor unions and calls for “expedited” arguments on the legality of the Trump plans. “Not a single one of defendants’ actions to dismantle U.S.A.I.D. were taken pursuant to congressional authorization,” the union filing said. “And pursuant to federal statute, Congress is the only entity that may lawfully dismantle the agency.”
The Trump administration argued that these were personnel matters over which Congress should have no say.
Even as the case proceeds, USAID signage was removed today from the agency’s D.C. headquarters building.