Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to freeze billions in foreign aid payments for now, putting on hold a lower court ruling that required officials to spend $4 billion of that money by the end of the month.
Roberts, who handles emergency appeals from federal courts in Washington, DC, issued what’s known as an administrative stay – a temporary order intended to give the justices more time to review the case.
The order does not necessarily indicate how the court will ultimately resolve the appeal, though it could make it harder for the groups that sued over the cuts to recover the money approved by Congress.
Roberts ordered the groups challenging the move to respond to the Trump administration by Friday afternoon.
At issue is $4 billion in foreign aid, including for global health and HIV programs, that was approved by Congress but that President Donald Trump has deemed wasteful. Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office attempting to curtail foreign aid spending, and his administration has for months been fighting lower court orders that blocked his effort.
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