The Supreme Court on Wednesday delivered a setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to freeze foreign aid spending, rejecting a request to block a lower court’s order requiring nearly $2 billion in payments to international aid groups and contractors.
In a 5-4 ruling, the justices determined that the deadline imposed by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali had already expired, returning the case to the lower court for further clarification on compliance and repayment schedules. The ruling provides a temporary victory for foreign aid recipients, but the Trump administration may still have room to delay payments as the case continues.
“Given that the deadline in the challenged order has now passed, and in light of the ongoing preliminary injunction proceedings, the District Court should clarify what obligations the Government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order, with due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines,” the Court said.
The decision prompted a blistering dissent from Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh. Alito strongly objected to the idea that a single district judge could compel the executive branch to spend taxpayer dollars against its will.
BREAKING: The Supreme Court has ruled that President Trump must unfreeze $1.9 billion in foreign USAID payments. Unbelievable.
Justice Samuel Alito BLASTS the majority with Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh joining in dissent:
“Does a single district-court judge who… pic.twitter.com/mt8eL4yj7L
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 5, 2025
“Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the Government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever) 2 billion taxpayer dollars?” Alito wrote. “The answer to that question should be an emphatic ‘No,’ but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise. I am stunned.”
At the heart of the dispute is the Trump administration’s sweeping foreign aid freeze, part of its broader push to slash government spending and redirect funds toward domestic priorities. Since taking office, President Trump has sought to eliminate 90% of USAID contracts and cut an additional $60 billion in foreign aid spending.
The administration’s legal team, led by Acting U.S. Solicitor General Sarah Harris, acknowledged that the $1.9 billion owed to aid groups was legitimate but argued that Judge Ali’s deadline was “not logistically or technically feasible.”
Harris also warned that enforcing the lower court’s order would intrude on executive authority.
“Ordering the Trump administration to make payments on a timeline of the lower court’s choosing, and without regard to whether the requests are legitimate, or even due yet, intrudes on the president’s foreign affairs powers,” she said.
But aid organizations, many of which had already completed their contracted projects, accused the administration of deliberately refusing to comply. In their Supreme Court filing, they argued that the administration had never attempted to meet the payment deadline and instead moved to dismantle the very systems required to issue payments.
One source familiar with USAID’s operations told Fox News Digital that the administration had acted too quickly in purging staff and shutting down payment infrastructure.
“All of these invoices have already been approved by the front-line managers at USAID,” the source said. “It’s really these payment bottlenecks that the government has itself created that have caused the problems with repayment.”
