In a major blow to the Democrats' lawfare strategy to prevent the Trump administration from governing, Chief Justice John Roberts responded to the White House's request for emergency intervention. Roberts blocked a Biden-appointed federal judge's order that around $2 billion in frozen foreign aid funds be released immediately.
The Chief Justice issued an administrative stay on Feb. 27, preserving the status quo while the Supreme Court considers the matter more thoroughly. This temporary action overrides U.S. District Judge Amir Ali's midnight deadline, which would have forced the State Department and USAID to release billions in taxpayer dollars for already completed foreign aid work.
Roberts, who oversees requests for emergency relief arising from cases in the District of Columbia, acted alone in halting the decision from a federal district judge issued Tuesday. The judge, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, gave the State Department and USAID until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday to pay its bills to contractors for work that had been completed before Feb. 13. The Trump administration had earlier in the night asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the dispute involving frozen foreign assistance funds.
Roberts gave the State Department and USAID contractors until noon Friday to respond to the Trump administration's request.
