WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in a high-stakes legal battle over billions of dollars in foreign aid that his administration is attempting to halt.
In an emergency appeal filed on Tuesday, Trump’s legal team warned that unless the justices act by next week, a lower court ruling will compel the government to release approximately $12 billion in foreign aid.
The appeal argues that such a move could cause irreparable diplomatic costs and undermine the administration’s foreign policy agenda.
The dispute stems from cuts the Trump administration sought to impose on funds already approved by Congress for global health and HIV/AIDS programmes.
A district court had earlier ordered the funds to be released, despite a ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that only Congress, not nonprofit organisations, has the legal standing to challenge such funding changes.
While the appeals court initially sided with Trump, the full D.C. Circuit is still reviewing the case. In the meantime, the district court’s order remains active prompting the administration’s urgent request for Supreme Court intervention.
The Justice Department, in its filing, accused the district court of overstepping its authority by positioning itself as supervisor-in-chief of further spending and rescissions proposals.
It urged the Supreme Court to block the order by September 2, stressing that forcing the government to disburse billions by September 30 would inflict lasting damage on U.S. foreign policy.
This is not the first time the matter has reached the nation’s highest court. In March, the Supreme Court narrowly declined to freeze the funds while litigation continued, allowing the case to progress in the lower courts.
The fresh appeal now sets the stage for yet another legal showdown with significant implications for U.S. aid commitments and the scope of presidential powers over foreign policy.
