A foreign service worker whose pregnant wife was denied emergency medical transport while stationed abroad has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging its “rushed, haphazard and cruel” push to shut down the agency has placed the mother and unborn daughter at grave risk.
The worker, who filed the complaint anonymously as “Terry Doe” in federal court in Washington, D.C., for fear of reprisal, charges that the U.S. government twice denied previously approved medical transport orders for the mother, who is 31-weeks pregnant.
“Each day has brought a new constellation of suffering,” the worker said in the complaint, describing the administration’s directives as conflicting, confusing and cruel. “Because of the stress and strain of the constant onslaught by my employer in recent weeks my wife has repeatedly been in the hospital with a life-threatening condition and stress-related complications.”
The worker said the couple was told they must evacuate because the medical complications had placed the mother at high-risk for hemorrhaging. But despite twice having received approval for a medical evacuation, the State Department in Washington canceled the transports on Feb. 4 and Feb. 6 with a message stating, “there is no USAID funding for Medevacs.”
The worker said they called everyone they could think of for help before finally finding a sympathetic senator who intervened. But by then the worker’s spouse had begun hemorrhaging and needed emergency hospitalization at their overseas post. She must now remain on bed rest, as they were told it would be too risky to move the mother and unborn child, the complaint said.
The worker said the events that led to the life-threatening situation were due to the administration’s rushed desire to shut down an agency, charging that “our lives are acceptable collateral damage for their political gain.”
The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News’ for comment.
Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the president’s government downsizing initiative, dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency, abruptly announced earlier this month that USAID would be shut down.
The agency delivers billions of dollars in humanitarian aid overseas, funding that advocates say provides a critical lifeline to more than 100 countries at a small fraction of the overall federal budget.
