A federal judge has mandated the Trump administration to reverse its three-week freeze on U.S. foreign aid funding. Judge Amir Ali issued the order in response to a lawsuit filed by two health organizations impacted by the funding suspension. The organizations rely on U.S. funding for international programs.
The Trump administration argued that the funding freeze was necessary to conduct a comprehensive review of thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs to determine their continued viability. However, Judge Ali questioned the rationale behind a complete suspension of aid programs prior to individual reviews.
Flowers outside USAID headquarters in Washington D.C. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Established in 1961 under President Kennedy, USAID operates independently but collaborates closely with the State Department on civilian foreign aid allocation. Under Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested the possibility of USAID's abolishment and reorganization in the near future, as communicated in a letter to lawmakers.
