US Supreme Court rejects Trump's foreign aid freeze
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The news: The US Supreme Court voted 5-4 to reject President Donald Trump’s request to freeze nearly USD2 billion ($3.2 billion) in foreign aid, upholding a lower court order that requires the funds to be disbursed.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the unsigned order, which directed Judge Amir Ali to clarify what the government must do to comply with his ruling, since his original deadline had lapsed.
The context: The ruling marks the Supreme Court’s first major decision on Trump’s efforts to reshape government policy since he took office on 20 January. It comes amid a wave of more than 100 lawsuits challenging his actions.
Ali had ruled on 25 February that the administration must pay more than USD1.5 billion for already completed aid work by midnight the next day.
Unsigned orders are typical when justices act on emergency applications, The New York Times noted.
Trump halted the aid on 20 January, prompting lawsuits from aid groups arguing the freeze defied congressional appropriations and jeopardised global humanitarian efforts. The administration has terminated thousands of USAID and State Department contracts.
Despite Ali’s restraining order, the administration largely kept the funds frozen, reviewing grants case by case.
What they said: The brief court order said the trial judge, who had ordered the government to resume payments, “should clarify what obligations the government must fulfill.”
Justice Samuel Alito, joined by three other conservatives, dissented, saying the ruling “stunned” him, and warning of judicial overreach.
Ali is set to hold a hearing on whether to impose a longer-term injunction.
The sources: The New York Times, US Supreme Court order
