Court Ruling Against Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts

A federal appeals court issued another setback for President Donald Trump on Friday. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 vote, upheld a lower court’s ruling requiring the administration to disclose the foreign aid funds. The panel noted that “the appellant did not meet the strict requirements for stays pending appeal.” Judges Cornelia Pillard and Florence Pan, both appointed by former presidents Obama and Biden, respectively, supported the lower court’s decision, while Trump’s appointee, Judge Justin Walker, dissented.

This ruling comes after a strong statement from US District Judge Amir Ali, who criticized the previous refusal to allocate legally mandated funds. Judge Ali remarked that the government disregarded the fundamental expectation that congressional appropriations must be honored and did not adequately justify its stance on the constitutionality of the actions, emphasizing that there were no final court orders rejecting such claims.

Trump’s effort aimed to reclaim $4.9 billion earmarked for the State Department and USAID using a seldom-invoked “pocket withdrawal” strategy, which the administration announced to Congress in late August. This move faced immediate backlash, including from Republican Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, who labeled it an “attempt to undermine the law.”

Judge Ali’s ruling was firm, emphasizing that officials failed to provide legitimate legal grounds for withholding the funds and noted that, despite having “months and opportunities,” there wasn’t a credible interpretation of the law that would justify cutting off the allocated billions.

The Court of Appeals’ decision solidifies that the foreign aid will proceed as intended by Congress.