Special Poll
Chief Justice John Roberts has temporarily halted a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to release nearly $2 billion in foreign aid payments, delaying a midnight deadline that had been imposed after a judge ruled the administration had ignored his directive.
The administration argued that resuming the payments on such short notice was unrealistic. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali had ordered the State Department and USAID on Tuesday to restart funding for foreign aid contracts and grants by the end of Wednesday, a timeline the administration challenged.
“This new order, which mandates the immediate release of vast sums in foreign assistance, oversteps into the authority of the Executive Branch. When it comes to foreign affairs, the President’s power is at its peak, while the judiciary’s is at its weakest,” acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris stated in an emergency motion to the Supreme Court.
Roberts, who oversees emergency appeals from Washington, D.C., issued a temporary pause while the court considers whether to overturn Ali’s ruling. He could decide on the matter himself or bring it to the full court for a vote. In the meantime, he has ordered the plaintiffs to submit their responses by mid-day Friday.
For now, Roberts’ decision gives the Trump administration a reprieve from releasing the aid, marking a temporary victory in its broader push to scale back USAID. However, the pause leaves USAID contractors and nonprofits that rely on the funding in a state of uncertainty.