Supreme Court temporarily blocks order forcing Trump administration to release billions in foreign aid

After the Trump administration ordered the elimination of more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in global foreign assistance, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked an order forcing the federal government to release billions in foreign aid by midnight.

According to AP, the Supreme Court blocked the order issued by U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali, which had ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze million-dollar funds for USAID weeks ago.

Chief Justice John Roberts said the order will remain on hold until the court has a chance to analyze it in more detail.

One order to prevent another order

U.S. District Judge Ali had ordered the federal government to comply with his ruling, which temporarily suspended the freeze on foreign aid funds, in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of nonprofits and businesses affected by the measure.

In his order, Supreme Court Justice Roberts noted that the plaintiffs now have until noon Friday to respond.

The Supreme Court's blocking of Ali's order comes just as an internal Trump administration memo was revealed detailing plans to cut foreign aid and cancel USAID contracts, revealing specific figures on the elimination of most U.S. humanitarian and development aid overseas.

The cuts to USAID come after the revealing of several overseas projects that were far removed from humanitarian aid. Conservative critics of the agency for years charged that U.S. overseas funds were being used to push a progressive agenda overseas.

Earlier, on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump had already ordered a 90-day review to determine which foreign aid initiatives should continue, suspending virtually all funding earmarked for foreign aid.

The funding suspension immediately halted thousands of U.S.-funded programs overseas. However, Ali's order posed an unexpected challenge.

Now, faced with Ali's block, critics of the Trump administration said the suspension of the contracts was a way to circumvent the court order on the release of the funds, further complicating the issue.

With the Supreme Court's intervention, it is expected that in a few months there will be greater clarity on who is right in this court case over aid sent overseas and the Trump administration's efforts to cut public spending.