U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel and Arab states in mid-February, a State Department official said, making his first trip to the Middle East after a widely condemned proposal by President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians in Gaza.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to travel to the Middle East next week after backlash against President Trump's plan for the U.S. to "take over" and rebuild Gaza. Israel's government is preparing to move Palestinians out of the territory,

The workers associations argue that Trump lacks the authority to shut down the six-decade-old aid agency without approval from Congress.

The judge temporarily barred USAID from putting 2,200 workers on paid leave after employee groups filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s authority to shut down the agency.

The Trump administration has said USAID is wasting money and needs to align with its policy priorities. Some of the agency's functions could be carried out by the State Department. On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused USAID's leadership of "insubordination" and said he was now the agency's acting head.

All programs are in limbo right now as USAID staff around the world are being placed on paid administrative leave. Still, there are indications of what may come back through publi