US judge temporarily blocks Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze

By Beril Canakci

ISTANBUL (AA) — A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must temporarily reinstate certain US foreign aid programs, delivering a legal setback to the White House’s broad efforts to suspend international aid, NBC News reported.

According to the report, US District Judge Amir Ali ruled Thursday that while President Donald Trump’s executive order pausing foreign aid remains in place, the administration cannot cancel or suspend funding allocated before Trump took office.

“The Court does not find it appropriate or necessary to enjoin the President or the Executive Order itself,” Ali wrote in his decision.

However, he noted that the administration has not “meaningfully contested detailed and credible evidence of harm to countless American businesses, ranging from shutting down programs, to furloughing and laying off employees, to shuttering altogether.”

The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by nonprofit organizations that work on international aid projects. These groups challenged both Trump’s executive order and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s subsequent directive, which ordered an immediate halt to nearly all US foreign assistance.

The Trump administration, following suggestions from US tech billionaire Elon Musk — the head of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency — initiated the shutdown of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) operations both domestically and internationally.

The move has led to widespread disruptions in global aid programs, affecting many non-governmental organizations and media organizations that relied on the agency's funding.

USAID was established by then-President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Later, Congress established USAID as an independent agency. Therefore, the president requires an act of Congress to eliminate it. ​​​​​​​