USAID contractors join others suing Trump administration over dismantling of agency

FILE PHOTO: A USAID flag flutters outside, as the USAID building sits closed to employees after a memo was issued advising agency personnel to work remotely, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 3, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo

(Reuters) - Organizations and companies that contract with USAID, including the American Bar Association and international development firm Chemonics, on Tuesday sued President Donald Trump's administration over what they called its unlawful moves to dismantle the U.S. foreign aid agency.

In the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, the plaintiffs said Trump lacks the legal authority to shut down a federal agency established by Congress or to refuse to spend money that U.S. lawmakers allocated to it.