February 7, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who organized Members of Congress to show support for employees of the U.S. Agency For International Development (USAID) at USAID headquarters on Monday, issued the following statement today after a federal judge said he would temporarily halt the Musk Administration’s assault on USAID employees:
“I welcome a judicial order to halt the Musk Administration’s abuse of USAID’s workforce even temporarily. The court should uphold the law and put a full and permanent stop to the illegal, unconstitutional, immoral, and corrupt destruction of USAID.
“Over the past week, I have heard from hundreds of constituents affected by the assault on USAID. Some are tearful employees facing job loss for the ‘crime’ of doing important work their country asked them to do. Some are family members afraid for USAID workers posted abroad who were cut off from their work communication and financial systems while they were still overseas. Some are people with contracts Musk is refusing to pay, looking at large-scale layoffs of American employees.
“What is happening at USAID is an unmitigated disaster for the country and the world. It is already resulting in the spread of disease, starvation, and deaths from preventable causes. Sadly we know that many of those who die if USAID is not restored will be children.
“The American people will not benefit if USAID is permanently dismantled, they will lose. America will lose friends all over the world, and we will create enemies. America will lose influence with nations that will increasingly turn to adversaries China. And America will lose something that is important to have, and hard to regain when lost: the trust of our friends.
“Anyone who respects the rule of law and honors their oath to defend the Constitution should oppose the authoritarian assault by this White House under Elon Musk on federal agencies established and funded by Congress. As this case proceeds, I will continue to stand with the brave civil servants at USAID who show the best America has to offer to people all over the world.”
Beyer represents a Northern Virginia district with one of the largest concentrations of federal employees and contractors in the U.S. House.
