Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts offered a small assist in the Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development when he granted the administration's request late Wednesday to pause a lower court ruling that would have required the government to release nearly $2 billion in foreign aid.
The order is temporary and does not resolve the underlying legal issues in the case, which centers on the wide-ranging 90-day pause on foreign aid that U.S. President Donald Trump issued in late January.
Plaintiffs whose work is tied to USAID funding sued to challenge Trump's move, and a federal district court judge on February 13 issued an order requiring the State Department and USAID to release funds for any "contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, loans, or other federal foreign assistance award that was in existence as of January 19," the day prior to Trump's inauguration, according to The New York Times. But groups told the judge that money had not continued to flow—prompting the judge to impose the order that was blocked by Roberts. The Trump administration argued that it did not have enough time to comply with the district court's order.
The aid freeze, as well as the administration's slashing of USAID personnel, has largely halted the agency's operations, left thousands of USAID employees without jobs, and also leaves millions at risk of hunger and illness.
The watchdog group Public Citizen denounced the Trump administration for not complying with the directive to release the nearly $2 billion.
Lauren Bateman, a Public Citizen attorney and lead counsel for two of the plaintiffs challenging the blanket foreign aid pause, said in a statement Wednesday, "While the administration refuses to comply with the district court's order, the irreparable harm to our clients increases each day, as does the suffering of millions of people across the world who depend on the work performed with these grants."
"The lengths to which the government is going to flout a court order, all for the goal of ending lifesaving humanitarian assistance, is staggering," added Allison Zieve, director of Public Citizen Litigation Group.
The Wednesday night intervention from the Supreme Court marks the second time the Trump administration has asked the country's highest court to intervene after a district court handed down a ruling not favorable to the White House. "However tentative, the stay was nonetheless the first victory for the administration in a deluge of cases that the justices could hear over President Trump's blitz of executive actions," reportedThe New York Times.
Meanwhile, USAID employees who have been fired or placed on leave have been given a short window to return to the USAID office in Washington, D.C. on Thursday and Friday in order to clear out their workspaces. According to multiple outlets, they are only being given 15 minutes to collect their belongings.
On the subreddit r/fednews, a forum on Reddit for federal employees, a user named Constant_Gardner23 on Wednesday posted: "So tomorrow we will be escorted like criminals into USAID to get our personal effects. 15 minutes per terminated employee. That's us folks. That's the reward of public service in this country."
"Please learn from USAID—they will use our playbook on you next," Constant_Gardner23 added.
A flyer circulated on Bluesky encouraged people to show up to the USAID headquarters, which is located at the Ronald Reagan Building on Pennsylvania Avenue, to show their solidarity for USAID workers on Thursday and Friday as they come to collect their things.
