On Wednesday, a divided U.S. Supreme Court rejected former President Donald Trump’s appeal to stop the distribution of around $2 billion in foreign aid.
The justices affirmed a lower court’s decision, which required the government to pay for contracts that were finished, in a 5-4 verdict.
Since Trump’s return to office, this is the court’s first significant decision on a legal challenge involving him.
According to the justices, the federal court who mandated that payments for contracts with the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) continue “should clarify what obligations the Government must fulfill.”
The majority judgment was written by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was appointed by Trump and supported the court’s three liberal members.
The decision was sharply criticized by Justice Samuel Alito, who joined three other conservative justices in dissent.
“Does one district-court judge, who probably has no jurisdiction, have the unrestricted authority to order the United States Government to pay out (and likely lose forever) two billion taxpayer dollars?” Alito penned.
“A resounding “no” should be the response to that inquiry, but it appears that most members of this Court disagree. “I’m in shock,” he continued.
The conflict started last month when District Judge Amir Ali, a Biden appointee, granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Trump administration from “suspending, pausing, or otherwise preventing” the distribution of foreign aid funding, according to AFP.
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With the support of billionaire Elon Musk, Trump’s biggest fundraiser, he has been leading a push to reduce or abolish several U.S. federal agencies.
One of the main targets of this endeavor has been USAID, which is in charge of allocating U.S. humanitarian aid through emergency relief and health programs in almost 120 countries.
In the past, Trump has called USAID “run by radical lunatics,” while Musk has called the organization a “criminal organization” that ought to be “put through the woodchipper.”
