Supreme Court Blocks Trump Administration’s Effort To Halt Leftist USAID Spending

The Supreme Court has intervened in the Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze, ruling 5-4 that nearly $2 billion in USAID funds must be released immediately. The ruling upholds a lower court decision that forces the White House to continue funding groups that have been accused of pushing leftist political agendas under the cover of humanitarian work.

Justice Samuel Alito, writing in dissent, condemned the ruling as judicial overreach. He called out U.S. District Judge Amir Ali for stepping beyond his authority by ordering the White House to make immediate payments. “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 asked.

The administration had put a blanket freeze on USAID payments as part of an effort to reassess how foreign aid dollars were being allocated. The White House has maintained that too much money was being directed toward media organizations, activist nonprofits and other groups advancing leftist causes.

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Chief Justice John Roberts had temporarily paused Ali’s ruling last week to give the administration time to argue its case. However, the Supreme Court’s final decision sends the matter back to Ali, effectively allowing him to decide how soon the funds must be disbursed.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh joined Alito in dissent, warning that the ruling weakens the authority of the executive branch. Roberts sided with the court’s liberal justices to allow Ali’s decision to stand.

Following the ruling, Ali wasted no time in moving forward with enforcement, scheduling a hearing to determine the next steps.

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