Overview

• U.S. District Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday that blocks Pete Marocco from serving as acting board chair of USADF and pauses his directives.
• The ruling found that Marocco’s self-appointed presidency and subsequent layoffs and grant terminations are void and must be reversed.
• Rural Development Innovations and two former USADF employees sued over Marocco’s appointment, arguing his lack of Senate confirmation threatened the agency’s mission.
• The Justice Department contends the Federal Vacancies Reform Act does not apply to USADF and that disputes over the cuts must be heard in the Court of Federal Claims.
• Congress created USADF in 1980 as an independent agency requiring Senate-confirmed board members and allocated $46 million in 2023 to support development projects in 22 African countries.