America: Trump government in U.S. gets court blow, instructions to give $2 billion to USAID and State Department partners
New Delhi| A federal judge in the U.S. has given the Trump government until Monday to pay USAID and State Department partners $2 billion. With this decision on Thursday, the six-week ban imposed by the administration on foreign aid has also ended. This decision can prove to be a big challenge for the Trump government.
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled in favor of nonprofit groups and businesses that filed lawsuits against the funding being discontinued. The administration’s move has forced organizations around the world to cut services and lay off thousands of workers. That the court has raised questions during the hearing of the case casts doubt on the Trump administration’s argument that presidents have broad authority to circumvent congressional decisions on spending in a foreign policy matter, including foreign aid.
“It would be a earth-shaking, country-shaking proposition to say that appropriations are optional”, Ali said, commenting on the government’s argument He asked government lawyer Indranil Sur, “My question to you is, where are you getting this in the constitutional document from?” Thursday’s order comes in a case involving further decisions from the administration involving the swift termination of 90 percent of USAID’s contracts worldwide.
Ali’s decision by a federal judge comes a day after the Supreme Court rejected a proposal by the Trump administration to stop funding through USAID. The high court has directed Ali to clarify what the government should do to comply with his previous order, which had asked for immediate release of funds for work already done.
The funds were frozen under an executive order signed on January 20 on behalf of President Donald Trump. In this case the administration appealed when Ali issued a temporary stay order and set a deadline for release of payment for work already done. The administration said it had replaced a total freeze on expenditures with individual earmarking, resulting in the cancellation of 5,800 USAID contracts and 4,1000 State Department grants, an item that costs about $60 billion.
