A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump exceeded his constitutional authority by freezing nearly all U.S. humanitarian and development aid abroad.
The ruling forces the administration to release tens of billions in congressionally approved funds but stops short of reinstating thousands of canceled aid contracts.
Judge Amir H. Ali’s decision came just hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the completion of a six-week purge of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), slashing 83% of its programs. Rubio stated that remaining aid efforts would be absorbed by the State Department.
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The move marks a historic shift in U.S. foreign aid policy, spearheaded by Trump’s political appointees and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) teams. Critics, including Democratic lawmakers, have called the aid freeze illegal, arguing that spending authority rests with Congress.
In his ruling, Ali reaffirmed that foreign aid spending is a congressional power, rejecting the administration’s broad claims of executive authority.
However, he declined to reinstate terminated contracts, leaving that decision to the administration. He also ordered the government to process $2 billion in back payments to aid groups at a pace of at least 300 transactions per day.
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The cuts have left USAID staff and contractors stranded overseas, with many still awaiting payments and travel assistance to return home. The administration has given them until April 6 to relocate at government expense, a deadline critics say is unrealistic.
The dismantling of USAID upends decades of policy that viewed humanitarian aid as a tool for U.S. national security, strengthening alliances and stabilizing regions. With over 90% of USAID programs now defunded as reported earlier, experts question what remains of America’s foreign aid priorities.
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