U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was nominated by Trump, handed the administration and billionaire ally Elon Musk a setback last week by temporarily halting plans that would have put thousands of workers on leave and given those abroad only 30 days to return to the United States at government expense.

A Trump-appointed judge extended until Feb. 21 an order he issued last week blocking much of the administration’s plan for massive changes to USAID.

Two unions representing USAID employees sued the Trump administration, saying the funding halt not only upended overseas aid programs but employees’ lives in various countries.