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Supreme Court Temporarily Lets Trump Freeze $4 Billion in Foreign Aid

Chief Justice John Roberts issued an administrative stay that pauses a lower court order as the justices weigh an emergency bid over a pocket rescission that challenges Congress’s power of the purse.

A security guard walks down the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., July 19, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo
Image
FILE - John Roberts, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, speaks during lecture to the Georgetown Law School graduating class of 2025, in Washington, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
FILE - The Supreme Court Building is seen in Washington on March 28, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Overview

  • Roberts’ order puts on hold a ruling requiring the administration to obligate about $4 billion by Sept. 30 and directs the plaintiff aid groups to respond by Friday.
  • The Justice Department says it will spend roughly $6.5 billion of the disputed appropriations but seeks to withhold the remaining funds under the Impoundment Control Act.
  • U.S. District Judge Amir Ali had ordered the government to take steps to obligate the money unless Congress approves the rescission, and the D.C. Circuit declined to pause that order.
  • Trump notified Congress on Aug. 28 of a late‑year “pocket rescission,” a maneuver critics say could let the administration run out the clock on spending that Congress approved.
  • Aid organizations, including global health groups, argue the freeze violates federal law and disrupts lifesaving programs, and they previously won a 5–4 Supreme Court ruling in March for payments on past work.