A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore funding for hundreds of foreign aid contractors who say they’ve been devastated by President Donald Trump’s abrupt — and in their view illegal — 90-day blanket freeze.
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, a Washington, D.C.-based appointee of President Joe Biden, highlighted the failure to consider the harm caused by the halt to foreign aid.
Legal Ruling on Foreign Aid Freeze
“At least to date, Defendants have not offered any explanation for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid, which set off a shockwave and upended reliance interests for thousands of agreements with businesses, nonprofits, and organizations around the country, was a rational precursor to reviewing programs,” Ali wrote.
“Absent temporary injunctive relief, therefore, the scale of the enormous harm that has already occurred will almost certainly increase,” the judge added.
Restrictions on Administration Actions
Ali's ruling prohibits Trump’s top State Department and budget aides from implementing any contract cancelations or stop-work orders put into effect after Trump’s inauguration, pending further litigation.
The ruling effectively halts a central component of one of Trump’s Day One executive orders commanding his administration to freeze foreign aid for 90 days.
Review of Administration's Actions
The judge concluded that the Trump administration appeared to act in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner by abruptly shutting off all foreign aid without considering consequences for businesses that had received aid prior to Trump’s inauguration.
“There is nothing arbitrary and capricious about executive agencies conducting a review of programs,” he said. “But there has been no explanation offered … as to why reviewing programs — many longstanding and taking place pursuant to contractual terms — required an immediate and wholesale suspension of appropriated foreign aid.”
This legal development underscores the importance of judicial oversight in ensuring accountability and fair treatment in government actions affecting vital aid programs.
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