Unions sue Trump administration over attack on USAID
Unions representing government workers have sued the Trump administration over its efforts to dismantle the US Agency for International Development.
Read full story here.
https://p.dw.com/p/4q9Nn
Task forces monitoring foreign influence and Russian sanctions disbanded
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has disbanded the Foreign Influence Task Force, a unit focused on probing violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), requiring such agents to register with US authorities.
Bondi said it was needed to disband the task force in order to “free resources to address more pressing priorities, and end risks of further weaponization and abuses of prosecutorial discretion.”
Bondi has also disbanded Task Force KleptoCapture, an initiative started in 2022 to enforce sanctions on Russia and seizing assets of Russian oligarchs.
Moscow was accused of attempting to influence the 2016 US presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.
Russia has denied involvement and the 448-page Mueller Report, made public in April 2019, concluded that there was insufficient evidence to bring any conspiracy or coordination charges against Trump or his associates regarding the claims of Moscow interference.
https://p.dw.com/p/4q9Nm
February 7, 2025
WFP received dozens of stop work orders despite emergency waiver issued by Rubio
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) was ordered by the United States to halt
dozens of US-funded grants, according to an email seen by the news agency Reuters.
This freeze occurred despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio issuing a waiver for emergency food assistance.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) grants, at various stages of progression, are worth tens of millions of dollars to impoverished countries such as Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Haiti and Mali.
Some of the grants that have been frozen are a part of the Food for Peace Title II program, which spends around $2 billion (€1.93 billion) per year on the donation of US commodities.
https://p.dw.com/p/4q9MP
Senate confirms Vought as budget chief
The Senate has confirmed Russell Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
The OMB is the entity at the center of a controversial effort to put a stop to federal funding for aid programs.
He was approved by a vote of 53-47 over strong opposition from Democrats in the Senate.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described Vought as “one of the most fringe and hard-right individuals the Senate has seen in a very long time.”
Vought served in the same role during Trump’s first administration. In this period he issued a memo barring the use of taxpayer funds for anti-racism training.
Last week, the OMB issued an order that froze trillions of dollars in federal loans, grants and other assistance.
https://p.dw.com/p/4q9I6
Trump sanctions ICC over issuing arrest warrant for Netanyahu
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday placing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “baseless” investigations targeting the United States and Israel, the White House said.
The order states that the ICC had “abused its power” by issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held talks with Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
The arrest warrant stems from Netanyahu’s actions toward Palestinians in Gaza after the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, Israel and others.
The ICC’s actions set a “dangerous precedent,” according to the order. Among the sanctions is the banning of ICC officials from entering the United States.
Israel is a “close ally” of Washington’s, the order states, adding that the ICC had used “illegitimate and baseless actions” before issuing the arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
Neither the US nor Israel are members of or recognize the Hague-based court.
https://p.dw.com/p/4q9GR
#Trump #orders #ICC #sanctions #Israel #probe
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