Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary order on Tuesday (September 9), allowing President Donald Trump to pause billions in foreign aid payments. This decision temporarily halts a lower court ruling that required the government to spend $4 billion by the end of the month. The administrative stay grants the Supreme Court more time to review the case, which involves funds earmarked for global health and HIV programs. President Trump has labeled these funds as wasteful and has sought to curtail foreign aid spending since his first day in office.
The Trump administration’s request for the Supreme Court’s intervention follows a ruling by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, who argued that the executive branch overstepped its authority by attempting to withhold funds approved by Congress. Ali’s decision was supported by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which declined to pause his ruling. The administration contends that the court’s decision undermines the president’s ability to manage foreign affairs and has requested that the Supreme Court allow it to withhold $4 billion while spending $6.5 billion by September 30.
The administration’s move to freeze the funds has sparked legal challenges from groups that rely on foreign aid, who argue that the executive branch cannot unilaterally rescind funds allocated by Congress. The Supreme Court’s decision to grant a temporary stay could complicate negotiations to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month. The groups that sued over the cuts claim that the stay might effectively decide the case in the government’s favor, allowing the administration to run out the clock and avoid spending the money.
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