Supreme Court upholds lower court’s order to ‘unfreeze’ $2 billion in foreign aid
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld an earlier court order from a federal judge instructing the government to release nearly $2 billion in foreign aid by the end of 26 February. The ruling was decided by a vote of five to four and marks a win for organizations providing global humanitarian assistance. But it’s unclear whether, or how, the money might be disbursed, with the deadline now passed and many of the organizations already told that their funding has been terminated. In two lawsuits filed in early February, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and contractors funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State had argued that the government’s sudden 3-month suspension of funds was causing them irreparable...