US Supreme Court Rules Against Trump's Efforts to Halt Payments to Foreign Aid Groups

Wednesday 05 March 2025 - 16:00

By: Zahouani Ilham

US Supreme Court Rules Against Trump's Efforts to Halt Payments to Foreign Aid Groups

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled against President Donald Trump’s attempt to block payments to foreign aid organizations that had already fulfilled their contractual obligations. The court’s 5-4 decision upheld a ruling by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, who had instructed the administration to release the nearly $2 billion in funding to contractors and grant recipients from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department. This ruling dealt a setback to Trump’s efforts to scale back American humanitarian projects abroad.

Conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the decision. Trump’s administration had sought to delay the payment, arguing that it would take weeks to process the funds. Initially, Judge Ali’s order set a deadline for the funds to be released by February 26, but Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily paused that order to allow the Supreme Court more time to deliberate.

The Supreme Court’s majority decision did not provide an explanation, but it instructed Judge Ali to clarify the government’s obligations for compliance with the restraining order. Aid groups, which include organizations like the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and HIAS, had warned that halting the payments would cause "extraordinary and irreversible harm," severely disrupting critical life-saving aid.

Trump’s administration had ordered a 90-day freeze on all foreign aid on January 20, jeopardizing global humanitarian efforts and halting USAID’s operations worldwide. Aid organizations argue that these moves exceeded the president’s authority and undermined both the federal government’s structure and congressional spending decisions. They emphasized that the work of these organizations directly benefits U.S. interests abroad, preventing global crises from reaching the U.S. shores.

This ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing legal battle between the Trump administration and foreign aid organizations. It remains to be seen how the case will evolve, but for now, the Supreme Court’s decision ensures that the critical funding will be released to the groups that are already performing humanitarian work worldwide.