A federal judge has blocked the Trump government’s effort to remove the U. S. African Development Foundation’s president until at least Tuesday after the company sued the federal government.
The head of the USAFD sued over the Department of Government Efficiency’s attempt to assert power over the company. On Thursday, U. S. District Judge Richard Leon said Ward Brehm “may not been removed from his office as President of USADF, or in any way be treated as having been removed, denied, or obstructed in accessing any of the advantages or sources of his company, or otherwise be obstructed from his skill to carry out his duties, absent a choice” by the USADF table to replace him.
Brehm asked a court on Thursday for a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent DOGE workers from accessing the agency’s building and removing him as head. Democracy Forward, a liberal-leaning group, filed the lawsuit on Brehm’s behalf.
The lawsuit said the termination of Brehm would be “unlawful” and DOGE would not have the authority to do so. Staffers from DOGE and Peter Marocco, the acting head of the U. S. Agency for International Development, tried unsuccessfully to enter the building on Wednesday. They gained access on Thursday.
” The threatened termination of Brehm from his position as President of USADF, whether by Marocco, President Trump, Director Gao, or any of the remaining Defendants, is unlawful. None of the Defendants is lawfully a member of the Board of USADF, and only the Board has the authority to remove Brehm from his position”, the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit.
It is believed that the Trump administration will attempt to dismantle USADF much like they stripped down USAID as a part of DOGE’s vast cost-cutting efforts. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 19 that suggested the agency should strip “non-statutory components and functions”. The agency said that they did not believe Marocco or DOGE were authorized to represent it.
” The United States African Development Foundation ( USADF) offices were entered today by Mr. Peter Marocco and others who we do not believe are authorized to represent the agency. USADF is fully complying with its statutory obligations”, USADF told the Hill.
” We will follow the law with the expectation that our staff will be treated with dignity and respect”, the agency added.  ,
The USADF argued DOGE is violating the appointments clause and the African Development Foundation Act.
” Without this Court’s immediate intervention, Defendants will continue their tactics and strongarm their way into USADF, no matter that USADF has a legally constituted Board and President. And within days, the damage that they do will be irreparable”, the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit.  ,
TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Brehm believes the agency has real value, noting that their work “boosts economic stability in fragile regions”.
” Not only have we improved the lives of millions of people in Africa, we’ve contributed to a safer and more secure world”, he added.
