SC Lets Trump Freeze $5-B in Foreign Aid

The Supreme Court on Friday extended an order allowing President Donald Trump’s administration to keep nearly $5 billion in foreign aid frozen, marking another victory in a dispute over presidential power, Mark Sherman reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The justices stressed they were not issuing a final decision but noted Trump’s authority over foreign affairs carried weight. (Photo: U.S. Department of State Flickr) 

The court’s conservative majority sided with Trump’s emergency appeal after a district judge ruled the freeze illegal without congressional approval.

The D.C. Circuit declined to block that ruling, but Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay on Sept. 9, which the full court has now extended. The justices stressed they were not issuing a final decision but noted Trump’s authority over foreign affairs carried weight.

Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented, warning the decision means the funds will expire unused.

The ruling “further erodes separation of powers principles that are fundamental to our constitutional order,” said Nick Sansone of Public Citizen Litigation Group, which represented the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.

“It will also have a grave humanitarian impact on vulnerable communities throughout the world.”