A federal judge has given the Trump administration less than two days to release billions of dollars in frozen foreign aid, following allegations that the administration has failed to comply with a court order issued nearly two weeks ago, according to AP News.
The order, issued by US District Judge Amir H. Ali on 13 February, required the administration to resume funding for foreign assistance programmes that had been abruptly halted.
The lawsuit was filed by nonprofit organisations, including the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Global Health Council, which argued that the funding freeze violated federal law and jeopardised critical life-saving programmes abroad. The freeze, initiated by a January 20 executive order from President Donald Trump, targeted what he described as wasteful programmes that did not align with his foreign policy goals.
Nonprofit groups and businesses that rely on US Agency for International Development (USAID) and State Department funding said the freeze caused severe disruptions, including layoffs of tens of thousands of staff members and financial instability for organisations.
Many claimed they were owed hundreds of millions of dollars for work already completed, but payments had been withheld.
Despite Judge Ali’s February 13 order to temporarily resume funding and settle outstanding bills, USAID staffers and partner organisations reported that no payments had been released. During a hearing on Tuesday, Judge Ali pressed the government’s lawyer, Indraneel Sur, for clarity on whether the administration had taken steps to comply with the order.
I’m not sure why I can’t get a straight answer from you on this: Are you aware of an unfreezing of the disbursement of funds for those contracts and agreements that were frozen before Feb. 13? Are you aware of steps taken to actually release those funds?
Sur responded, “I’m not in a position to answer that,” prompting further frustration from the judge.
Judge Ali’s latest order gives the Trump administration until Thursday to release the blocked funds, emphasising the urgency of the situation. The outcome of the case could set a precedent for how the administration handles court orders related to federal spending and foreign aid.
