Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to halt $2bn aid
The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump’s attempt to halt $2bn in foreign aid payments, AFP reported.
In a five-four decision, the court upheld a lower court ruling that mandated the resumption of payments for completed contracts with the US Agency for International Development and the State Department.
The justices called for clarification from the federal judge overseeing the case on the specific obligations the government must fulfill in relation to these contracts.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, both conservative appointees, joined the three liberal justices in the majority vote.
The ruling marks the first major legal challenge to Trump’s administration by the Supreme Court.
Justice Samuel Alito, joined by the three other conservative justices, wrote a dissenting opinion, questioning whether a single district court judge had the authority to compel the government to release taxpayer funds.
“Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the Government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever) 2 billion taxpayer dollars?” Alito wrote.
“The answer to that question should be an emphatic ‘No,’ but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise. I am stunned,” he said.
District Judge Amir Ali, an appointee of former president Joe Biden, issued a temporary restraining order last month prohibiting the Trump administration from “suspending, pausing, or otherwise preventing” foreign assistance funds.
Trump’s administration, with backing from top donor Elon Musk, has sought to downsize or dismantle parts of the US government, particularly targeting USAID, which manages health and emergency programs in over 120 countries.
Trump has been critical of the agency, while Musk has described it as a “criminal organisation” in need of reform.
