US Supreme Court Pauses Judge’s Order on Trump Foreign Aid Funding – wna24

Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts, temporarily halted a midnight deadline on Wednesday (local time) that required the Donald Trump administration to release nearly USD 2 billion in foreign aid payments. This decision came after a lower court judge ruled that the administration had violated its previous order. The Trump administration had argued that it was not possible to meet the rapid timeline set by US District Judge Amir Ali, who had directed the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to resume funding for foreign aid contracts and grants by the end of Wednesday. 

 In an emergency motion filed with the high court, acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris said that the new order, which required the payment of substantial foreign aid sums within less than 36 hours, interfered with the authority of the Executive Branch. She stated that the President’s power is at its apex–and the power of the judiciary is at its nadir–in matters of foreign affairs. 

ALSO READ: Trump Admin Announces Cutting Down of 90% of USAID Foreign Aid Contracts and $60Bn Overall US Assistance Globally

The request went to Chief Justice John Roberts, who is responsible for handling emergency appeals from Washington, DC. His temporary pause will remain in effect until the court decides whether to overturn Judge Ali’s ruling. Roberts has the option to make the decision himself or refer it to the full court for a vote. He has instructed the plaintiffs to respond to the court’s ruling by midday on Friday, according to a media report. 

The decision taken by Roberts implies that the Trump administration does not have to release the funding by midnight, handing Trump a temporary win in his efforts to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). However, it leaves the USAID contractors and non-profits who filed the case in limbo. 

In the court filings, the coalition wrote that unless the administration makes payments, several plaintiffs and their members could be forced to stop operations this week, arguing that “time truly is of the essence.” 

Lawyer Stephen Wirth wrote, “After flouting the district court’s temporary restraining order for a full twelve days in letter and in spirit — requiring the district court to not once, not twice, but three times order compliance — Defendants bring this premature appeal in a last-ditch effort to evade the order of an Article III court.” 

In a statement, Allison Zieve, director of Public Citizen Litigation Group, which represents one group of plaintiffs, said, “The lengths to which the government is going to flout a court order, all for the goal of ending life-saving humanitarian assistance, is staggering.” 

The US Justice Department insisted that there are other legal ways for the groups to try to access funding they believe they are owed. 

Since assuming office, Donald Trump has aimed to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), including through an executive order that halted all federal aid payments. As part of this effort, most USAID officials have been placed on administrative leave, barred from accessing their offices or internal systems, and many have been dismissed. 

The move comes as Donald Trump seeks to reshape federal spending to align with his administration’s priorities, according to The Hill. Before Judge Amir Ali’s decision, a judge appointed by former President Joe Biden had set a midnight deadline, ruling that the Trump administration had violated his order. However, the judge did not hold officials in civil contempt for the breach. 

ALSO READ: Trump Slashes 2,000 Jobs at USAID, Puts Thousands on Leave After Court Ruling