USDC Judge Nichols moved his in-court only hearing to today; and overnight, the plaintiffs provided him with a beefed up amended complaint. Here is a redline, to make the changes easy to track.
It adds counts about Oxfam America’s reliance interests on contracts already let through USAID. It recites the actions of Team Musk, in removing the signage from the building in DC — and stranding pregnant US citizens (employees of USAID) in conflict zones in Congo — without access to State Dept. intel — thus endangering their lives. This is deplorable. There is no emergency, here. There is no reason — other than to sow chaos — to rip all this apart in a few hours. Most of all, it ignores the statutes that require such a shuttering to achieved exclusively by a new Act of the Congress. Here’s that newly revised complaint, and a bit:
…Plaintiff Oxfam America is also injured by the disruption and halting of USAID’s work, which is creating an inordinate burden on remaining humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam, whose resources will be significantly overstretched in an attempt to fill the $63 billion void left by USAID. See Ex. A. The agency’s pending closure leaves a massive shortfall that will force Oxfam and other organizations to reallocate funds away from critical programs, allowing it to cover only the most extreme humanitarian disasters. The halt in USAID’s work thus immediately thwarts Oxfam’s mission—and leave scores of children, women, and men living in the world’s most precarious areas without food, water, medicine, education, economic opportunities, or emergency relief from natural disasters and conflicts.
In addition, Oxfam implements programs in close collaboration with its partners including other government entities, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), local and national NGOs, many of which receive USAID funding and are the beneficiaries of USAID’s technical expertise. The freeze on USAID foreign aid is impeding Oxfam’s work on those programs, jeopardizes its projects, and generates pressure on Oxfam to incur additional financial responsibility. Indeed, Oxfam has already been directed to stop work on several projects that rely on USAID as a back donor, including projects for which Oxfam has completed work but has not been compensated….
Onward, into the chilly sunshine — with about five inches of shovelling done; and more to come by Friday night / Saturday morning now. Smile.
नमस्ते
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