Washington, D.C. – This week, Democracy Forward won a preliminary injunction on behalf of the Rural Development Innovations Ltd. and two longtime USADF employees to block the Trump-Vance administration’s unlawful attempt to dismantle the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF).
USADF is an independent federal government agency established in 1980 to support African-owned and African-led enterprises that improve lives and livelihoods in underserved communities in Africa. It provides direct development assistance through grants, seed capital, and technical support, focusing on community-led development.
Read the preliminary injunction here. Read the complaint here.
See Coverage Below:
Associated Press: Federal judge halts the Trump administration from dismantling the US African Development Foundation
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., ruled that Trump violated federal law when he appointed Pete Marocco the new head of the U.S. African Development Foundation, or USDAF, because Marocco was never confirmed by Congress. As a result, Marocco’s actions — terminating most of the agency’s employees and effectively ending the agency’s grants — are void and must be undone, the judge found.
“This is a victory for the rule of law and the communities that rely on USADF’s vital work,” said Joel McElvain, senior legal adviser at Democracy Forward, the organization representing the USDAF staffers and consulting firm in their lawsuit. “We will continue fighting against these power grabs to protect USADF’s ability to fulfill the mission that Congress gave it to perform.”
The New York Times: A federal judge rejected the DOGE takeover of an African aid agency as likely illegal
The ruling on Tuesday was the latest to reject parts of President Trump’s campaign to shut down much of the country’s foreign aid apparatus and the agencies that administer it in the name of reducing bureaucracy and taming what the administration calls out-of-control spending.
The judge’s opinion barred various administration officials from enforcing directives handed down this year to gut the foundation, at least temporarily restoring its independence. The foundation provides direct grants and assistance to African-owned grassroots enterprises.
Groups behind the lawsuit celebrated the ruling as returning some control to the foundation. “This is a victory for the rule of law and the communities that rely on U.S.A.D.F.’s vital work,” said Joel McElvain, a senior legal adviser at Democracy Forward, which helped lead the suit. “No president can erase a federal agency, ignore Congress, and upend lives without legal authority.”
The Hill: Judge blocks Trump effort to dismantle African development agency
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Trump’s appointment of a new head of the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF), indefinitely halting his directives to massively slash the agency’s workforce and grant funding.
“While defendants argue that the President has inherent Article II power to appoint acting principal officers, there is little hope for defendants that this argument will win the day,” Leon wrote in his 16-page ruling.
They were represented by the Democracy Forward Foundation, a left-leaning legal group that has brought a flurry of litigation against the second Trump administration.
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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.