Supreme Court Overrules Trump Administration, Orders USAID Payments To Resume

The Supreme Court has dealt a blow to the Trump administration’s effort to freeze foreign aid, ruling that nearly $2 billion in USAID payments must be disbursed immediately. In a 5-4 decision, the justices upheld an order by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali requiring the administration to restart payments, despite objections from conservative justices who warned of an unprecedented judicial power grab.

Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the dissenting justices, accused the majority of failing to curb “judicial hubris” and allowing a single district judge to dictate how the executive branch manages federal spending. “I am stunned,” Alito wrote, arguing that Ali’s order placed an undue burden on the administration by demanding that payments resume on an unrealistic timeline.

Chief Justice John Roberts had initially paused Ali’s ruling to give the Supreme Court time to weigh the case, but the court’s final decision effectively hands control back to the lower court. Ali will now oversee the process of determining how quickly the administration must comply.

The Trump administration had frozen USAID payments as part of an initiative to reassess how foreign aid dollars are allocated, focusing on cutting funds that support activist organizations. The White House argued that too much taxpayer money was being funneled into leftist-aligned groups under the guise of development aid.

Despite these concerns, the Supreme Court’s ruling ensures that the payments must go through. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh joined Alito in dissent, warning that the decision undermines executive authority and sets a dangerous precedent.

Ali quickly scheduled a new hearing following the ruling, signaling that he intends to move forward with enforcing the payment order without delay.

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