Supreme Court Extends Freeze on $4–5B Foreign Aid

On Sept. 26 the Supreme Court extended an emergency order allowing the Trump administration to keep roughly $4–5 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid frozen while lower‑court litigation proceeds. The conservative majority granted the administration’s emergency appeal over the dissent of the court’s three liberal justices after Chief Justice John Roberts briefly stayed a lower‑court order. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali had ruled the administration’s use of a rare “pocket rescission” was likely illegal and that Congress must approve withholding appropriated funds, prompting the Justice Department’s appeal. The high court said asserted harms to the Executive’s conduct of foreign affairs appear to outweigh potential harm to aid recipients and emphasized its order is interim, not a final merits ruling. Dissenting justices warned the emergency docket was being used to shift the balance of power over spending and said the result would prevent billions from reaching intended recipients, while aid groups say the administration created a timing crisis by delaying disbursement.