WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Chief Justice John Roberts Wednesday temporarily suspended a lower court decision mandating that the Trump administration pay foreign aid money to recipients and contractors and grant them contracts, granting the White House’s emergency request.
The Supreme Court ruling arrived hours ahead of a midnight deadline set by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, who had commanded the administration to release aid payments that were stalled under a policy implemented by President Donald Trump on his first day in office last month.
The halt is the most recent legal fight over the administration’s broad cuts to foreign aid. The White House is cutting more than 90% of U.S. Agency For International Development (USAID) contracts worth over $58 billion in foreign aid, according to the State Department.
Roberts did not explain his order but directed the plaintiffs, which comprise the Aids Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Journalism Development Network, to reply by Friday on why payments should go forward.
The administration has argued that it is working to comply with Ali’s order but that the deadline was “not logistically or technically feasible.” In a filing, Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris said the government had initiated $4 million in payments, which would take two days to process, and approved another $11 million that would be disbursed within two weeks.
The suit, filed by aid organizations, claims the administration illegally suspended payments in defiance of several court orders to release them. Ali obtained a temporary restraining order last week to stop what he termed “irreparable harm” to the recipients. The plaintiffs claim the delay has forced them to close essential humanitarian programs.
The Justice Department argues the White House can suspend and review funding agreements that do not fit into its policy agenda. A State Department spokesperson explained the reductions are part of Trump’s “America First agenda.”
The controversy rages on as USAID is subjected to drastic staff cuts, with the administration cutting 1,600 jobs and putting the majority of employees on paid leave. Employee unions have filed suit to contest the reductions, but a judge has permitted them to do so.
The Supreme Court ruling provides the government with additional time to make its case. Meanwhile, thousands of aid recipients globally are left in limbo about the fate of their funding.
