Supreme Court lets Trump administration freeze billions in foreign aid
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to allow the Trump administration keep frozen billions of dollars in foreign aid that is set to expire next week, the latest turn in a lengthy legal saga over the congressionally appropriated funds.
The emergency intervention came at the administration’s urging to lift a lower court’s ruling ordering it to spend $4 billion in funds approved for aid programs by Sept. 30, its expiration date.
The unsigned order indefinitely extends the pause on U.S. District Judge Amir Ali’s injunction that was put in place earlier this month by Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles emergency appeals from the nation’s capital by default, as the high court considered the appeal.
The court gave a brief explanation of its reasoning, saying that the government “at this early stage” made sufficient showing that the lawsuit is precluded under the Impoundment Control Act and that the plaintiffs can’t force the government to pay up.
The court also said that the asserted harm to Trump’s foreign policy powers appeared to outweigh potential harm faced by the respondents.
“This order should not be read as a final determination on the merits,” the order read. “The relief granted by the Court today reflects our preliminary view, consistent with the standards for interim relief.”
Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a dissenting opinion joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson that the application raises “novel issues........
© The Hill
