Federal Workers Fight For Their Jobs; Trump Further Dismantles USAID
Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health has resumed at least some grant reviews for health research projects. In other news, AP has reported that the United States will withdraw from the top U.N. human rights body and also will review its involvement in the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO.
The New York Times:
A Legal Counteroffensive To Beat Back Trump’s Government Purges
Workers from across the federal government set off a legal counteroffensive against President Trump and Elon Musk on Tuesday, challenging the legality of efforts to raze their agencies, single them out publicly or push them out of their jobs. ... It will be up to the courts to decide whether the president has the power to not only direct the executive branch, but also to forcefully recast it in his own image. It may also be up to the judicial branch of government to find a way to ensure that its own decisions are enforced. (Schwartz and Savage, 2/4)
The New York Times:
Trump Officials To Put Almost All U.S.A.I.D. Workers On Leave
Nearly the entire global work force of the main American aid agency, known as U.S.A.I.D., will be put on leave by the end of Friday, according to an official memo the agency posted online Tuesday night. The notice said only a small subset of “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs” would be exempt. (Demirjian, Wong and Crowley, 2/4)
The New York Times:
Foreign Strongmen Cheer As Musk Dismantles U.S. Aid Agency
Agency grants to promote democracy, human rights and good governance have gone to support election monitoring groups, anti-corruption watchdogs, independent media outlets and human rights organizations — exactly the kind of oversight that leaders like President Vladimir Putin detest. (Sonne, 3/5)
The Washington Post:
Deaf Federal Workers Face Uncertain Access Following Trump’s DEI Orders
Some deaf federal employees at some agencies aren’t able to access American Sign Language interpreting services and other accommodations as a result of President Donald Trump’s orders to remove all positions related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, according to advocates working with deaf federal employees and interpreters. (Morris, 2/4)
On federal grants —
Stat:
NIH Resumes Grant Reviews After Trump Administration Pause
On Tuesday morning, the National Institutes of Health hosted the first study section to review grant applications in over two weeks, following an abrupt and indefinite pause by the Trump administration on Jan. 22. Such meetings — in which expert scientists from around the country consider whether the agency should support proposed research projects — are a core part of how the NIH fulfills its mission to improve human health and reduce illness and disease. (Molteni and Oza, 2/4)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Attempt To Freeze Grant Funding Leaves Nonprofits Reeling
Last week, the Trump administration briefly froze all federal grant spending, cutting off funding to nonprofit groups that do work under a government contract. It lasted all of two days. Then the memo that announced the freeze was rescinded, and two federal judges blocked it, for good measure. But this week, many nonprofit groups said they still felt frozen, or at least chilled. ... Those groups laid off staff and cut back on services — canceling job training in West Virginia, immigrant services in Wisconsin and help for disabled children in Vermont. (Fahrenthold, Nehamas, Silver-Greenberg and Mandavilli, 2/4)
Global repercussions of Trump's funding freeze —
AP:
Trump Announces Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Body And Halt To Funding For Palestinian Refugees
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the United States will withdraw from the top U.N. human rights body and will not resume funding for the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees. The U.S. left the Geneva-based Human Rights Council last year, and it stopped funding the agency assisting Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, after Israel accused it of harboring Hamas militants who participated in the surprise Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel, which UNRWA denies. (Lederer, 2/5)
The Washington Post:
Fear, Pain And Hunger: The Dire Impact Of U.S. Funding Cuts In Africa
Soup kitchens can no longer feed the hungry. First responders are unable to reach the dead and wounded. Mothers and fathers search in vain for the medicines that keep them alive. Across Africa, in bombed-out Sudanese cities, Kenyan clinics and Mauritanian refugee camps, the policies of the Trump administration are already having profound consequences for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. (Houreld and Chason, 2/4)
In related news about tariffs —
The Washington Post:
USPS Suspends Packages From China As Trump’s Tariffs Start
The U.S. Postal Service abruptly suspended inbound package shipments from China and Hong Kong on Tuesday as President Donald Trump’s trade war began in earnest. The mail agency’s move may block or delay, at least temporarily, parcels from retailers including Shein and Temu and some from Amazon. (2/5)
Politico:
Device, Drug Makers Seek Tariff Exemptions
President Donald Trump reached a deal to put tariffs on Mexico and Canada on hold for a month on Monday, but health care firms are signaling they want exemptions from U.S. tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China he unveiled over the weekend. Makers of drugs and medical devices say the 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and 10 percent tariff on goods from China could have an outsized impact on American patients and the medical product supply chain. (Lim, 2/4)
