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Sonam Sheth is an Evening Politics Editor at Newsweek who is based in New York. She joined Newsweek in 2024 and previously worked at Business Insider and CNBC. Sonam has extensive experience covering national security, foreign policy, elections, and stories at the intersection of law and politics. Her work has been cited in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and others. She has also frequently appeared on national television and radio, including MSNBC, NBC News, BBC World News, BBC News radio, and more. You can get in touch with Sonam at s.sheth@newsweek.com. Languages: English, Hindi, and French.
Evening Politics Editor
Two workers associations filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Trump administration over efforts to dramatically wind down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The Context
Thursday's is the latest in a series of lawsuits that federal workers have filed against the Trump administration over a host of issues, including President Donald Trump's executive orders, the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) access to sensitive payment and employee systems and the White House's offer of deferred resignations to more than two million government employees.
The American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees filed Thursday's suit over USAID. It named Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department, USAID and the U.S. Treasury Department as defendants.
What To Know
Thursday's lawsuit was filed shortly after the Trump administration proposed a plan to drastically cut USAID staff across the globe, which would leave the agency with fewer than 300 workers, compared to the thousands it had before Trump took office. USAID is responsible for distributing billions of dollars in foreign assistance to war-torn countries and populations facing poverty and disease.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit described Trump and his administration's actions as "unconstitutional and illegal," adding that they have "systematically dismantled" USAID.
"These actions have generated a global humanitarian crisis by abruptly halting the crucial work of USAID employees, grantees, and contractors," it said. "They have cost thousands of American jobs. And they have imperiled U.S. national security interests."
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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About the writer
Sonam Sheth is an Evening Politics Editor at Newsweek who is based in New York. She joined Newsweek in 2024 and previously worked at Business Insider and CNBC. Sonam has extensive experience covering national security, foreign policy, elections, and stories at the intersection of law and politics. Her work has been cited in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and others. She has also frequently appeared on national television and radio, including MSNBC, NBC News, BBC World News, BBC News radio, and more. You can get in touch with Sonam at s.sheth@newsweek.com. Languages: English, Hindi, and French.
Sonam Sheth
Sonam Sheth is an Evening Politics Editor at Newsweek who is based in New York. She joined Newsweek in 2024 ...
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