The United States Supreme Court issued a momentous decision yesterday in our lawsuit against Donald Trump’s illegal foreign aid freeze.

The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must stop defying a district judge’s orders.

But this lawsuit is far from over. The Supreme Court ruling sends the case back to the district court.

We will be in front of the judge this afternoon arguing for a preliminary injunction requiring the administration to allow life-saving foreign assistance work and funding to resume while the overall case proceeds.

Here’s a recap of the timeline in this case:

January 20
On his very first day back in office, Donald Trump issues an executive order directing agencies to freeze foreign assistance that supports humanitarian efforts worldwide.

February 10
Public Citizen files a lawsuit on behalf of two organizations that receive federal grants for humanitarian work.

February 13
The judge, responding to our motion, requires the administration to allow aid groups funded by the U.S. to resume work while the case proceeds.

February 26
With the administration so far having failed to comply with the order, the judge orders it to release funds by midnight that day for work performed before the freeze went into effect. Instead, the administration asks the Supreme Court to overturn the judge’s order and excuse its noncompliance.

March 5
The Supreme Court rejects the administration’s request to excuse its noncompliance with the judge’s order requiring payment of completed work.

March 6
Public Citizen lawyers will be back in court arguing for a preliminary injunction requiring the administration to allow work, and funding for that work, to resume while the case proceeds.

By the way, this is different from the separate lawsuit we filed over Trump’s illegal shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the five other lawsuits we’ve filed so far against Trump since he returned to power.

One other point worth making:

• Polls reveal that many Americans think foreign aid accounts for 25% or even 50% of all federal spending and that they would prefer it to be something like 10% instead.

• In reality, only about 1% of the federal budget — just one penny out of every dollar — goes to foreign aid.

• With that relatively modest expenditure, American aid helps millions and millions of people all across the world who are facing famine and malnutrition, illness and disease, oppression, disaster, and death.

• We are the richest country on Earth. But in 2023, there were 24 other countries that gave more, as a percentage of their gross national income, in development aid than the United States did.

• Yet it seems that Donald Trump won’t be happy until America is dead last on that list.

Trump’s foreign aid freeze is selfish, shortsighted, and inhumane. We are fighting it with everything we have.

If you can, please donate today to support Public Citizen’s work standing up to the Trump regime.

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For progress,

- Robert Weissman & Lisa Gilbert, Co-Presidents of Public Citizen
 
 
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