US Supreme Court rejects Trump’s request to keep billions in foreign aid frozen

On Wednesday, 5th March, 2025, the US Supreme Court rejected a request by the Trump administration to hold back nearly $2 billion in payment to the foreign assistance programme for the work they have already conducted on behalf of the government.

The US Supreme Court did not suggest the exact date the funds must be released, enabling the White House to maintain a dissenting opinion in the lower courts. No signature was appended to the order, but four conservative justices objected, namely Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas.

Since being sworn in, President Donald Trump has cut several aid programmes and positioned most USAID employees on leave or dismissed them. Aid groups argue these actions have severely compromised the integrity of life-saving operations worldwide. District Judge Amir Alid ordered the state department and the USAID that they should pay the bills to the contractors for the service they rendered on 26th February at midnight.

As the scheduled deadline drew near, President Donald Trump’s administration submitted an emergency petition for relief from the Supreme Court, arguing it was impossible to process claims in an ordinary fashion in such a short period of time. John Roberts, the United States Chief Justice, issued a concise judicial order that the administration should stay, as the full court is acting on Trump’s request.

The US Supreme Court, by a small margin, 5-4 decision, rejected an appeal to blow the lower court ruling on Wednesday that demanded the Trump administration release the payment.

Justice Alito wrote in a dissent joined by three conservatives that “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? The answer to that question should be an emphatic ‘No,’ but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise. I am stunned.”

In addition to the USAID award terminations, “nearly 4,100 State awards were brought to a close, and approximately 2,700 State awards were maintained,” the government told a lower court, referring to the State Department.

Aid programmes around the world encountered an unforeseen interruption due to the financial lockdown and assessment of billions of dollars of assistance.

President Donald Trump’s administration, led by Elon Musk, a billionaire, financial restructuring efforts seek to reduce the federal workforce. This cutback has already disrupted worldwide humanitarian assistance efforts, affecting hundreds of programmes in dozens of countries.

Source: BBC