Hours before a midnight deadline, the U.S. Supreme Court paused a judge’s order forcing the Trump administration to pay $2 billion in frozen foreign aid — giving the government a temporary reprieve for a directive issued by a U.S. District Court Tuesday afternoon.
“The district court’s underlying orders are erroneous,” wrote the Trump administration in an emergency motion to the Supreme Court Wednesday night after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied its appeal. “The government is doing what it reasonably can to comply in good faith.”
Chief Justice John Roberts stepped in late Wednesday night, with his order coming two weeks after the Trump administration was first mandated to unfreeze foreign assistance. The directive originally came from U.S. District Judge Amir Ali on Feb. 13, but 12 days later, Ali said there was “no evidence” the government had complied with his order — leading the judge to order they do so within 30-some hours.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
