Trump’s foreign aid freeze upheld

Literally, since Trump’s first day in office, he has been trying to hold up certain foreign aid that had already been approved by Congress.

The order was immediately challenged, and Trump struggled in the lower courts.

Now, however, Trump has won the appeal, giving him, for now, the right to freeze the funding.

Trump’s Order

After taking office, Trump issued an order regarding the re-evaluation of foreign aid.

The order stated, “The United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values.  They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries.”

It continued, “It is the policy of United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.”

As we noted above, the order was immediately challenged.

Blocked

There are laws in place regarding congressionally approved aid, and the laws were not in Trump’s favor.

Per the existing laws, if the money has been allocated by Congress and signed off on by a sitting president, that money cannot be withheld.

Now, there are a few exceptions, but a new president freezing that money on a whim is not one of them.

When the case went to court, Trump lost, then Justice John J. McConnell Jr, chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, accused the administration of disobeying a direct order from the court.

Freeze It

In a truly shocking order, a federal appeals court ruled that the administration can keep the money frozen, at least for now. The legislative branch’s Government Accountability Office (GAO) must challenge the administration’s position.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) responded to the ruling, stating, “Radical left dark-money groups have been using the court system to seize control of U.S. foreign policy.

“Today’s decision stops these private groups from maliciously interfering with the President’s ability to spend responsibly and administer foreign aid in a lawful manner and in alignment with his America First policies.”

This is not a final win, by any means, but it is a win for now. Trump will likely be able to keep this money frozen for a few weeks or even a few months, but it will eventually have to be released unless they prove something nefarious is going on. But for now, this is a win, and it gives Trump a little more leverage to use.