500 tonnes of food for foreign aid to expire after USAID reduction
After the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID, 500 tonnes of food used in foreign emergency will expire and be destroyed.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump hopes the Supreme Court will decide by September 2 whether the administration must spend billions of dollars on foreign aid approved by Congress.
In an emergency request filed on August 27, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to immediately suspend the judge’s order that the administration must spend money. This includes around $12 billion that you will need to commit by the end of September before the funds expire.
The Justice Department said that if the administration must meet its rapid deadline, it will need to know by September 2nd.
According to government lawyers, the administration must negotiate with foreign countries on the scope and terms of funding, as it would potentially be backtracked only if Trump ultimately wins the court battle. It “given irreparable diplomatic costs and creates unnecessary branch-to-branch friction,” they wrote.
After taking office in January, Trump has suspended all foreign aid and said any assistance that is not in line with his priorities will end.
Foreign affairs challenged Trump’s ability to refuse to use funds approved by Congress.
The district judge ruled in their favour, but the split panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in the DC Circuit is Trump and 2-1.
Foreign affairs are asking the full circuit court to consider its decision.
The administration argues that spending disputes between Congress and the President were usually resolved through political processes rather than courts.
The Justice Department said foreign aid groups were trying to fly around the dispute resolution mechanism created by the 1974 law passed in response to President Richard Nixon’s refusal to use congressional approved funds.
In a March ruling, US District Judge Amir Ali said the administration was violating the 1974 Congressional Budget and Water Storage Control Act.
And on August 25, Ali denied the government’s request to suspend the order until it was fully appealed.
Ali said the appeal process is on track, along with a timeline that the government has previously said is feasible.
