John Roberts, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Courtroom, in the course of the sixtieth presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025.
Chip Somodevilla | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures
U.S. Supreme Courtroom Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday paused a federal choose’s order requiring President Donald Trump’s administration to pay international help funds to contractors and grant recipients.
Roberts issued an interim order putting on maintain Washington-based U.S. District Decide Amir Ali’s motion that had imposed a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
Roberts supplied no rationale for the order, often known as an administrative keep, which can give the court docket extra time to contemplate the administration’s extra formal request to dam Ali’s ruling.
Roberts requested for a response from the plaintiffs – organizations that contract with or obtain grants from the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth and the State Division – by midday on Friday.
The order got here after Trump’s administration mentioned in a court docket submitting on Wednesday it has made ultimate selections terminating most U.S. international help contracts and grants, whereas sustaining that it can’t meet Ali’s court-ordered deadline.
The administration is reducing greater than 90% of the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth’s international help contracts and over $58 billion in general U.S. help around the globe, a State Division spokesperson mentioned individually, calling the cuts a part of Trump’s “America First agenda.”
The international help funding dispute arose from a pair of lawsuits introduced by the help organizations, alleging that the businesses have illegally frozen all international help funds.
The Trump administration has stored these funds largely frozen regardless of a February 13 short-term restraining order from Ali that they be launched, and a number of subsequent orders that the administration comply, culminating within the Wednesday evening deadline.
Legal professionals for the U.S. Justice Division have maintained that the administration has a proper to droop its agreements whereas it critiques them to find out whether or not they adjust to administration coverage.
That evaluation is now full, the administration mentioned in its new submitting. It mentioned USAID has made ultimate selections to cancel almost 5,800 awards, whereas holding greater than 500, and that the State Division has canceled about 4,100 awards, whereas holding about 2,700.
An administration official mentioned in an earlier court docket submitting that grounds for terminating contracts embrace that they had been associated to variety, fairness, inclusion and accessibility efforts, or had been deemed wasteful.
Trump has taken a tough line on packages associated to variety, fairness and inclusion, signing an govt order in his second day in workplace final month directing federal company chiefs to dismantle DEI insurance policies.
The administration mentioned on Wednesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had ordered that past-due invoices from the plaintiffs for work earlier than January 24, when the fee freeze started, to be “expedited for fee with out the bizarre vetting procedures, in a good-faith effort to conform” with Ali’s order. It mentioned that whereas some cash can be paid on Wednesday, full funds might take weeks.
Funding freeze undermines reduction efforts
Trump, a Republican, ordered a 90-day pause on all international help on his first day in workplace final month. That order, and ensuing stop-work orders halting USAID operations around the globe, have jeopardized the supply of life-saving meals and medical help, throwing world humanitarian reduction efforts into chaos.
USAID administers some 60% of U.S. international help and disbursed $43.79 billion in fiscal 2023. In accordance with a Congressional Analysis Service report this month, its workforce of 10,000, of which about two-thirds serves abroad, assisted about 130 international locations.
Trump’s administration on Sunday mentioned it was putting all however leaders and significant employees at USAID on paid administrative depart and eliminating 1,600 positions. Worker unions have sued to problem the cuts, although a choose final week allowed them to go forward.
Ali, who was appointed by Trump’s Democratic predecessor, former President Joe Biden, issued his short-term restraining order to forestall irreparable hurt to the plaintiffs whereas he considers their claims.
The plaintiffs allege Trump has exceeded his authority underneath federal regulation and the U.S. Structure by successfully dismantling an unbiased company and canceling spending approved by Congress.
The plaintiffs have mentioned the administration has not performed something to adjust to the restraining order, and a few have mentioned they may shut down inside days if they don’t seem to be paid.
“The lengths that the federal government is prepared to go to flout a court docket order, all for the objective of ending life-saving humanitarian help, is staggering,” mentioned Allison Zieve, a lawyer representing two plaintiffs, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and Journalism Growth Community, on Wednesday.
Different plaintiffs embrace worldwide growth firm DAI World and refugee help group HIAS.
Each Ali and a Rhode Island federal choose in a separate case over a broader federal fee freeze have castigated the Trump administration for failing to observe their orders. The administration in each instances has maintained it’s attempting in good religion to interpret and adjust to the orders.
