The US Supreme Court has narrowly upheld a ruling that obliges President Donald Trumpʼs administration to pay nearly $2 billion for foreign aid projects already completed.
This is reported by the Financial Times.
The decision was made by a five-to-four margin. Trump administration officials argued that only the US Congress can decide whether to unfreeze the money, but the federal judge who ordered the payment in February allegedly did not have jurisdiction over the contract payments.
The Supreme Court ruled on a lawsuit by global health organizations and nonprofit groups challenging Trumpʼs executive order to immediately halt all foreign aid programs. The plaintiffs argued that it not only violates several federal laws but also constitutes an unconstitutional abuse of presidential power. Donald Trump has boasted that he has frozen all foreign aid, calling it a "waste of money".
Public Citizen, a group that participated in the lawsuit, responded to the Supreme Courtʼs decision by saying, "Trump is not a king, he cannot ignore the law."
It was another legal blow to the White Houseʼs efforts to cut government spending. Lower courts have already blocked the new administrationʼs efforts to freeze federal grants, fire government officials and halt refugee programs.
However, some courts have ruled in Trumpʼs favor. For example, they did not prohibit Elon Muskʼs Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from obtaining certain data, and they also recognized that the CIA director has the right to fire some employees.
What preceded
After Donald Trump became US president, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was launched in Washington under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk. This structure should increase the efficiency of the American government in a year and a half. As part of the governmentʼs spending cuts, the US government, among other things, suspended aid programs to other countries and offered federal officials the opportunity to resign and receive compensation.
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