US Supreme Court Denies Trump’s Emergency Bid to Cancel $2 Billion in Foreign Aid

US Supreme Court Denies Trump’s Emergency Bid to Cancel $2 Billion in Foreign Aid

In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court has rejected Trump’s emergency request to keep billions in foreign aid previously approved for USAID contractors frozen.

The ruling enforces the lower court’s restraining order that directs the government to resume payments to workers for the work that is already performed.

The high court sent back the application from the Department of Justice emergency to the lower court for further proceedings after firmly rejecting it.

The dissent led by Justice Alito, Justice Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh argued against the majority decision, and highlighted their concern about the judicial overreach.

” 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 empathetic ‘No,’ but a majority of this court apparently thinks otherwise.” Alito wrote in the dissent.

“I am stunned!” He added.

On February 13, the US District court for the District of Columbia issued a permanent restraining preventing Trump’s administration from issuing directives that stops distribution of foreign aid and development funds.

The District court once again gave out an order on February, 25 by the judge, was to issue to workers $2 billion for the work already performed.

In a statement released by the Department of State, they explained that the judge brushed aside the Government’s argument that sovereign immunity barred the enforcement order, and he took two steps that , unless corrected, would prevent any higher court from reviewing and possibly stopping the payments

The judge labeled the order as a non- appealable TRO, and also demanded that the money should be paid within 36 hours.

All this unfolds after USAID ceased its vast operations and the projects they started in Africa, South east Asian countries, Ukraine and many more, significantly affected by the payment freezes.