USAID worker sues Trump administration for shutdown’s impact on pregnant wife’s health

​​​​​​​By Beril Canakci

ISTANBUL (AA) - A US foreign service officer filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming its abrupt shutdown of USAID endangered his pregnant wife’s health, ABC News reported.

According to court documents filed Monday, the officer, identified in an affidavit only as Terry Doe, said the shutdown caused emotional stress that led to his wife suffering life-threatening complications.

She was 31 weeks pregnant after years of infertility treatments, Doe explained.

He said despite medical advice for evacuation, the US State Department initially denied requests for his wife's transfer, citing a lack of USAID funding.

Only after an unidentified US senator intervened was the evacuation approved, but by then, Doe's wife had already begun hemorrhaging and was hospitalized at their overseas post.

Doe stated that the stress experienced by USAID families since Jan. 2 played a role in his wife’s worsening medical condition.

"Now I'm afraid for her and my baby's health because of this rushed, haphazard and cruel push to shut down the agency. This didn't have to happen," he said.

The Trump administration, following suggestions from US tech billionaire Elon Musk – who heads the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency -- initiated the shutdown of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) operations domestically and internationally.

The move has led to widespread disruptions in global aid programs, affecting non-governmental organizations and media organizations that rely on the agency's funding.

USAID was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Later, Congress established USAID as an independent agency, meaning that an act of Congress would be required to eliminate it.