President Donald Trump's administration is continuing its radical effort to cut much of the federal government -- and is being met with dozens of legal challenges.
The Department of Government Efficiency is taking aim at agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration, as the administration argues in court that Elon Musk is not the administrator of the newly-formed entity despite public comments from Trump to the contrary.
Trump, meanwhile, attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while speaking at his Mar-a-Lago home as U.S. officials hold talks with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine that started when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded its neighbor. Zelenskyy was not invited to the talks with Russia.
Musk shares insight into DOGE employees' federal salaries
During President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s first joint interview since the election, Fox News host Sean Hannity asked if DOGE employees were getting paid for their work.
"Nobody at DOGE gets paid a penny, right?" Hannity asked.
"Some people actually are federal employees," Musk responded.
"It's fair to say the software engineers at DOGE could be earning millions of dollars a year, instead of earning a small fraction of that as federal employees," he added.
Feb 18, 2025, 8:55 PM EST
Trump admin cuts off legal aid for unaccompanied migrant children
The Trump administration cut off funding to organizations that provide pro bono representation and other legal assistance to unaccompanied migrant children, according to a memo obtained by ABC News.
In an email sent by the Department of the Interior, the organizations that receive federal grants were told to stop "all activities" related to the work they do to support migrant youth facing deportation.
Migrant people seeking asylum in the United States demonstrate on the Rio Grande river to ask for authorization to enter the country, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico, April 25, 2024.
Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
"The stop-work order shall remain in place until you are notified otherwise," said the memo.
For unaccompanied minors, having an attorney could be the determinative factor as to whether they get to stay in the U.S. or are forced to return to their home country.
ABC News previously reported that thousands of unaccompanied children are representing themselves in immigration court due to a shortage of attorneys. In 2023, only 56% of unaccompanied minors in immigration courts were represented by counsel, according to data from the Department of Justice.
-ABC News' Laura Romero
Feb 18, 2025, 8:47 PM EST
Trump admin blocked from moving transgender inmates to male prisons: Judge
A federal judge late Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing an executive order that would have forced three transgender inmates into male prisons.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth -- nominated to the bench by former President Ronald Reagan in 1987 -- determined that transferring the transgender prisoners would likely violate the Eighth Amendment that protects against cruel and unusual punishment.
In this undated stock photo, someone holds a transgender flag in the air.
STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images
Judge Lamberth noted that the three transgender inmates who brought the case provided “uncontroverted evidence” that they would be at increased risk of sexual violence if they transferred, and the transfer, coupled with a freeze in their hormone therapy medication, could cause severe harm.
The judge already granted a temporary restraining order in the case and faulted the government for providing no additional information about how they would resolve the plaintiff’s concerns, further justifying the longer-term preliminary injunction.
-ABC News' Peter Charalambous
Feb 18, 2025, 8:36 PM EST
Catholic bishops sue over Trump administration's refugee policy
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is suing the Trump administration over its sudden suspension of funding for refugee resettlement, accusing the federal government of trying to "pull the rug out from under" the nonprofit group.
Under a preexisting agreement with the federal government, the USCCB received approximately $65 million in federal funding annually from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration to support the integration of refugees into the United States, but the group learned that their cooperative agreement was suspended four days into the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump speaks to the media at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Feb. 18, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
The USCCB alleged that the funding pause has been "devastating" for the 6,700 refugees still within their 90-day transition period, cost the nonprofit millions in unpaid bills and prompted the group to lay off 50 employees.
The group asked the court to order the federal government to restore the funding because the sudden pause violated the Administrative Procedures Act and undermined the separation of powers.
