US court blocked Trump's decision to freeze foreign aid - AP
A US court blocked the Trump administration's decision to halt foreign aid (photo: Getty Images)
A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the decision of President Donald Trump's administration to freeze funding for foreign aid programs and grant allocations, reports the Associated Press.
It is noted that Trump's initiative to suspend federal funding while his administration conducted a review to determine whether such aid aligned with official Washington policies could have harmed existing programs. It also contradicted US legislative norms.
The National Council of Nonprofits filed a lawsuit, arguing that the funding freeze was illegal and posed a threat to important social and international initiatives of the US.
On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the decision of the new US president’s administration.
"The Trump administration plan plunged the US government — and states and organizations that rely on federal funding — into panic and confusion and set the stage for a constitutional clash over control of taxpayer money," AP reported.
The Western edition also reports that the order from US District Judge Loren L. AliKhan came just minutes before the funding freeze was set to take effect.
The pause in grants and loans was scheduled to begin only a day after agencies were informed of the decision.
Representatives of the US Democratic Party called the Trump administration’s decision arbitrary and illegal, arguing that the president did not have the authority to unilaterally halt spending approved by Congress.
It is also noted that New York Attorney General Letitia James had planned to appeal to the Manhattan federal court to block the suspension of funding.
Representatives of the US president's administration stated that the decision to halt loans and grants - financial aid for local governments, schools, and nonprofit organizations across the country - was necessary to ensure that spending aligned with Trump's recent executive orders.
Trump’s team also noted that the decision would not affect programs providing direct assistance to Americans, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, student loans, and food stamps. However, several organizations have already expressed concerns about the initiative.
Judge AliKhan, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, stated that the federal government currently does not seem to fully understand the scope of the programs that will be suspended.
US has frozen funding for foreign aid grants
On January 21, newly elected US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day suspension of all foreign aid programs. They are to be reviewed for compliance with the president’s foreign policy.
On January 24, the US State Department issued an order to halt operations for all existing foreign aid programs. Additionally, the department suspended the issuance of new financial assistance.
Recently, it was revealed that the Ukrainian branch of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has also suspended its projects and funding.
Yesterday, the UN Secretary-General called on the US to resume funding for critical humanitarian aid programs.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has the authority to make exceptions to this initiative by the Trump administration.
On the evening of January 28, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to provide a report on the programs that have been left without US support from USAID.
