Trump administration withholding foreign aid in spite of court order, says judge

A federal judge in Washington, DC yesterday ruled that the Trump administration “has not complied” fully with a court order pausing a freeze on foreign aid that began on the day US President Donald Trump took office.

US District Court Judge Amir Ali chose not to hold the State Department or Office of Management and Budget in contempt but ordered that they “immediately cease” the continued suspension of aid, according to media reports.

The Trump administration had argued it complied with Ali’s order from last week, which temporarily reinstated foreign aid funding amid a lawsuit from two nonprofits challenging the suspension of assistance through USAID and the State Department.

Ali wrote that the court’s injunction did not intend to allow the administration to continue the suspension while reviewing contracts and legal authorities for a new justification.

He found that the Trump administration had continued the funding freeze “pending review of agreements,” which the temporary restraining order had specifically prohibited.

The judge concluded that “contempt is not warranted” given the administration’s recognition of the need for “prompt compliance with the order.”

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The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and Journalism Development Network, the groups behind the motion for civil contempt, pointed to a Trump administration status report showing no resumed funding or work despite the court’s directive.

The lawsuit followed Trump’s 20 January executive order halting foreign aid as part of a broader cost-cutting overhaul led by the Department of Health and Human Services. International aid groups and the UN said the aid cutoff was devastating, harming the lives of millions worldwide, most of them women and children.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio later released waivers for life-saving humanitarian programs and halted most foreign aid funded by the State Department and USAID, but many aid recipients said the flow of funds had not in fact resumed.

The nonprofits argue the administration’s actions are illegal and detrimental to global health and security. Trump’s executive order criticized the foreign aid system as misaligned with US interests and values.

Advocates of foreign aid say the programs help US farmers, whose surplus is bought and distributed worldwide by aid agencies, as well as building global goodwill for the US, helping to build bridges and open doors, and also helps reduce illegal immigration to the US by improving conditions in developing countries, making them more attractive to live in.

Programs to fight disease abroad also benefit public health in the US, as diseases do not respect borders, say advocates.

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