Federal Court Rules on Foreign Aid Funding
A federal appeals court has granted the Trump administration the authority to stop billions in foreign aid funding.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has to challenge administrative decisions regarding fund withholding, as noted in a recent ruling.
A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) stated, “The radical left dark money group uses the court system to take control of U.S. foreign policy. This ruling will prevent these private entities from undermining the president’s ability to manage foreign aid responsibly.”
Earlier, many funds were halted due to an injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in March. This followed a lawsuit by a group of grant recipients responding to President Trump’s executive order that paused foreign aid funds.
Judge Karen Lecraft Henderson, appointed by George H.W. Bush, commented in her majority opinion that the district court erred in granting relief because the grantees did not have a legitimate cause of action to support their claims.
She explained, “Since the grantee lacks a cause of action, there’s no need to discuss whether the government infringed on Congress’s spending rights through the alleged violations of various acts.”
In dissent, Judge Florence Pan, appointed by Biden, argued that the enforcement division does not adhere to formally enacted laws. “The majority’s decision allows the executive branch to evade judicial review of actions that may not meet constitutional requirements,” she noted.
