U.S. Supreme Court Judge John Roberts suspended a federal judge’s order on Wednesday requiring the Trump administration to pay contractors about $2 billion in foreign aid funds by midnight.
The ruling comes after the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court for an emergency order blocking the release of US Agency for International Development (USAID) funds that federal judges had requested by midnight. Authorities said they could not comply with the judge’s orders.
The Trump administration said that U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali’s order “has created a payment plan that would not be accepted in conflict with the federal government’s obligations to protect the integrity of the federal FISC and make appropriate judgments (sics) regarding foreign aid.
Responses from groups fighting the Trump administration are scheduled for Friday by 12pm. This means that the suspension may be relatively short-lived.
USAID instructions for fired employees give 15 minutes to collect items from shuttered DC buildings
The American flag and USAID flag fly outside the USAID building in Washington, DC, USA on February 1, 2025 (Reuters/Annabel Gordon)
The Trump administration said it has put numbers into plans to eliminate more than 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in US-wide assistance worldwide, and eliminate most of the US development and humanitarian aid overseas.
The cuts detailed by the administration leave little surviving USAID projects in place to help supporters try to save their continued court battle with the administration.
Flowers and Signs will be located outside the headquarters of the United States International Development Agency or USAID on Friday, February 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Wednesday’s disclosure also gives ideas from decades of policy in which foreign aid supports American interests by stabilizing other countries and economies and building partnerships.
Trump admins cut 1,600 USAID positions just before midnight
The memo said officials were “clearing down significant waste caused by decades of institutional drift.” More changes are planned for how USAID and the State Department will provide foreign aid.
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk will take photos at the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16th, 2024 in New York City. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
President Donald Trump and Ally Elon Musk hit foreign aid more vigorously and faster than most other targets in order to cut the size of the federal government. Both men say the USAID project has moved forward with the liberal agenda and is a waste of money.
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The administration has filed an emergency appeal before the Supreme Court in another case, claiming that the lower court was wrong to revive the head of the federal watchdog agency after Trump fired him.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fox News’ Bill Mears and Shannon Bream contributed to this report.
Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital Breaking Reporter that covers crime, political issues and more.
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