Washington [US], September 27: Reuters reported on September 27 that the US Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump 's administration to withhold about $4 billion in foreign aid that had been approved by Congress for the current fiscal year, as the Republican president pursues an "America First" plan.
The case raises questions about the extent to which a president has the authority to revoke funds that Congress has appropriated for programs inconsistent with his policies. The US Constitution gives Congress control of the budget.
Now, the justices have granted the Justice Department's request to block the ruling by federal judge Amir Ali in Washington.Mr. Ali had earlier asked the government to take steps to expedite the disbursement of the aid. His decision stemmed from a lawsuit filed by aid organizations challenging the government's actions.
The Supreme Court currently has a 6-3 conservative majority. Three liberal justices dissented.
The Supreme Court said the aid organizations may not have legal standing to sue. It also expressed concern that ruling against Mr. Trump at this stage would undermine his authority to conduct foreign affairs.
The liberal justices, in a dissent written by Justice Elena Kagan, said the decision was an affront to the constitutional principle of separation of powers between the three branches of the US government - executive, legislative and judicial. They noted that the Constitution "gives Congress the power to spend money through the enactment of appropriations laws."
The US government's fiscal year 2025 ends on September 30. The $4 billion in aid spending at issue in the lawsuit was allocated by Congress for foreign aid, UN peacekeeping operations and overseas democracy promotion efforts.
Last year, Congress appropriated billions of dollars in foreign aid , about $11 billion of which was set to expire at the end of the fiscal year.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
