US Supreme Court rejects order to stop foreign aid payments

(CLO) The US Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday to refuse to allow President Donald Trump's administration to delay payments to foreign aid organizations for work they have already done.

In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an earlier order by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington, which called on the administration to quickly release money to contractors and grantees from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department for work they had previously performed.

Judge Ali's order initially gave the US government until February 26 to release the funds, which the government said amounted to nearly $2 billion and could take weeks to fully pay out.

USAID packages are delivered by US Coast Guard personnel. Photo: US Coast Guard

President Trump ordered a 90-day halt to all foreign aid shortly after returning to the White House on January 20. Along with subsequent shutdowns, it halted USAID operations worldwide , throwing America's global aid efforts into chaos.

Aid groups have accused Mr. Trump in lawsuits of exceeding his authority under federal law and the U.S. Constitution by dissolving an independent federal agency and canceling spending authorized by the U.S. Congress .

Among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, the Journalism Development Network, international development firm DAI Global and refugee support organization HIAS.

The aid organizations said in a filing to the Supreme Court on February 28 that they “will face enormous and irreparable harm if the funding freeze continues,” as will their staff and those who depend on their work.

The work done by the organizations “advance U.S. interests abroad and improve — and in many cases, actually save — millions of lives around the globe. In doing so, we help prevent problems like disease and unrest abroad before they reach our shores,” lawyers for the foreign aid groups wrote. “Government actions have largely stopped this work.”

Donald Trump and Elon Musk have taken bold steps to streamline the federal government, dismantling several agencies, laying off thousands of employees and officials, and making other cuts.

Hoang Hai (according to USC, CNN, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/toa-an-toi-cao-my-bac-lenh-dung-thanh-toan-vien-tro-nuoc-ngoai-cua-ong-trump-post337247.html