The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against the Trump administration’s request to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid frozen, allowing the funds to potentially be released. The ruling, issued on Wednesday, was a 5-4 decision, with the majority of justices agreeing that the case should proceed in lower courts to determine the government’s obligations.
The case centers on the administration’s decision in January to freeze foreign aid from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This freeze was part of a broader move by the administration to curb spending and bring these agencies in line with its agenda. Several nonprofit organizations, which depend on this funding for global health and development programs, sued the administration, arguing that it violated federal law and usurped Congress’ constitutional authority to control government spending.
The Supreme Court’s decision allows the lower courts to clarify what actions the government must take to comply with a temporary restraining order that had already passed its deadline. According to the majority ruling, “given a court-ordered deadline to spend the money last week had already passed, the lower courts should ‘clarify what obligations the government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order’” (CNN).
In his dissent, Justice Samuel Alito expressed concern over the Court’s decision, stating he was “stunned” by the ruling, which allowed the lower court judge to order the administration to unfreeze the foreign aid. Alito added, “A federal court has many tools to address a party’s supposed nonfeasance. Self-aggrandizement of its jurisdiction is not one of them” (CNN).
The freeze affected billions in foreign aid, impacting various programs worldwide. The U.S. government revealed in filings that it had frozen nearly 90% of USAID foreign aid awards, resulting in the termination of approximately 5,800 USAID awards. This freeze affected health and development programs, including those related to HIV prevention, and led to a disruption in global aid efforts. In response to the administration’s actions, nonprofit organizations argued that the freeze had a “devastating” impact, as the funding “advances US interests abroad and improves – and, in many cases, literally saves – the lives of millions of people across the globe” (CNN).
The Trump administration had argued that it needed time to review payment requests and could not meet the deadline imposed by the lower court. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, it remains unclear when the funds will be released, as the lower courts will further examine the matter.
This decision highlights the ongoing legal and political debate over the executive branch’s authority to control foreign aid and the role of Congress in overseeing government spending. The ruling is likely to have further implications in similar cases involving executive power and the allocation of federal funds.
