A divided US Supreme Court dealt a legal setback to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, rejecting his effort to suspend approximately $2 billion in foreign aid payments.
In its first major ruling regarding a legal challenge against the Trump administration, the court voted 5-4 to maintain a lower court order mandating that payments for already finalised aid contracts be made.
The justices indicated that the federal judge who mandated the continuation of payments for contracts with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department “should clarify what obligations the government must meet.”
Conservatives John Roberts, the chief justice, and Amy Coney Barrett, who Trump appointed, sided with the three liberal judges on the nine-member Supreme Court.
Justice Samuel Alito authored a dissent supported by the three other conservative justices. District Judge Amir Ali, appointed by former president Joe Biden, issued a temporary restraining order last month that prohibited the Trump administration from “suspending, pausing, or otherwise preventing” foreign assistance funds.
Trump has initiated a campaign spearheaded by his top donor, Elon Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, aimed at cutting back or dismantling portions of the US government.
The primary focus has been on USAID, the key agency responsible for distributing US humanitarian aid globally, which administers health and emergency programs in about 120 countries.
Trump has branded USAID as “managed by radical lunatics,” while Musk has termed it a “criminal organisation” that requires a radical overhaul.
