Washington, USA – The United States Supreme Court on Friday authorized President Donald Trump’s administration to keep nearly 4.9 billion dollars in foreign aid frozen while Congress debates cuts to cooperation programs, marking a significant victory for the White House’s budget reduction agenda.
In a brief ruling, typical of emergency government appeals, the court’s conservative majority of six justices held that the president’s authority to manage foreign affairs “far outweighs the potential harm” to aid recipients.
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The decision, however, was labeled provisional, pending resolution in lower courts and Congress.
The court’s three liberal justices dissented.
Justice Elena Kagan, writing on their behalf, argued the matter requires deeper scrutiny since it touches on “the distribution of powers between the Executive Branch and Congress regarding public spending.”
A lower federal court in Washington,DC, had earlier struck down the freeze, ruling that Trump had overstepped congressional powers.
Trump’s budget maneuver challenged
On Aug. 28, Trump notified Congress he would withhold 4.9 billion dollars from an 11.5 billion dollars foreign aid package previously approved by lawmakers.
The administration used a maneuver known as a “pocket rescission,” which allows the executive to reallocate funds just before the fiscal year ends on Sep. 30.
Because of the limited timeframe, Congress has little opportunity to review or block the measure, making it effectively expire at year’s end.
Humanitarian groups and aid organizations sued, arguing the move was illegal.
On Sep. 6, a federal appeals court rejected the administration’s request to lift the injunction, prompting the government to take the matter to the Supreme Court two days later.
Aid cuts raise humanitarian concerns
This is the third time the Supreme Court has permitted Trump to temporarily withhold federal funds.
Previous rulings allowed the suspension of about 800 million dollars for the National Institutes of Health and 65 million dollars in teacher training grants.
Aid groups warned the latest cuts could have severe humanitarian consequences in developing nations dependent on U.S. assistance.
“These funds are not just numbers on a ledger; they are lifelines for vulnerable communities,” several NGOs said in statements opposing the freeze.
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