Filed Date: March 17, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding in progress
On March 17, 2026, eight international development organizations filed a lawsuit against the United States of America in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims under the Tucker Act. The plaintiffs—HIAS, American Bar Association, Advancing Democratic Elections and Political Transition LLC, DAI Global LLC, Democracy International Inc., Management Sciences for Health Inc., Mercy Corps, and Save the Children Federation Inc.—alleged that beginning in January 2025, the U.S. government wholesale repudiated its commitments to them by suspending and then terminating virtually all foreign assistance grants and cooperative agreements. According to the complaint, the agencies did not conduct individualized reviews of the awards, but instead directed mass award terminations in "tranches" of hundreds or thousands of awards at a time using boilerplate form letters, based on spreadsheets containing minimal data per award. The plaintiffs alleged this was done at the direction of political appointees and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials without expertise in foreign assistance. The organizations brought six counts against the government, including breach of contractual provisions for unpaid reimbursements and closeout costs, stop-work orders and suspensions, and terminations involving both the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Additional claims included abuse of discretion and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The plaintiffs sought damages "in the hundreds of millions of dollars" across all organizations, along with costs, expenses, fees, interest, and other relief deemed just and proper by the court.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Claire Pollard (3/29/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72506692/parties/hias-v-united-states/
Jacobson, Daniel F. (Alabama)
Rosen-Shaud, Brian C. (Alabama)
Wirth, Stephen K. (Alabama)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72506692/hias-v-united-states/
Last updated April 20, 2026, 3:09 a.m.
Case Type(s):
Presidential/Gubernatorial Authority
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 17, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Case Details
Other Dockets:
U.S. Court of Federal Claims 1:26-cv-00429
Available Documents:
Case Summary of Hias v. United States, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47985/ (last updated 3/29/2026).