Trump scores $2 billion win in federal appeals court

[Marisa Laudadio]

An appeals court handed President Donald Trump a win in his efforts to slash foreign spending. By: Aaron Schwartz – Pool via CNP / MEGA

President Donald Trump scored a win in his efforts to cut overseas funding when a federal appeals court panel cleared his administration to withhold $2 billion in foreign aid. The decision reversed a lower court’s ruling requiring funding and payments to keep flowing following Trump’s controversial order for a pause on foreign aid payments that he issued on his first day in office. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was among the first federal agencies Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — once headed by billionaire Elon Musk — moved to slash.

What happened​

The case originated after President Donald Trump cut USAID funding on his first day in office. By: Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

In the wake of the president’s overseas funding pause at the start of his second term, two nonprofits sued, arguing Trump exceeded his authority by essentially abolishing USAID and cutting spending that had been approved by Congress. In response, District Judge Amir Ali, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, in February issued a temporary restraining order — which the administration began fighting, leading a panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to lift Judge Ali’s order.

Trump’s OMB hails the ruling​

President Donald Trump’s America First policy was behind his decision to decimate foreign aid. By: Aaron Schwartz – Pool via CNP / MEGA

A spokesperson from the White House Office of Management and Budget praised the appeals court panel’s decision, crediting the ruling with stopping “radical left dark money groups” from “maliciously interfering with the president’s ability to spend responsibly and to administer foreign aid in a lawful manner in alignment with his America First policies.”

What the judges said​

The 2-1 appeals court panel’s ruling is based on what a judge said was the plaintiffs’ lack of standing in the case. By: Bermix Studio on Unsplash

The appeals court panel’s decision was 2-1. In the majority opinion, Judge Karen Henderson — who was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush — said the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring a case against the Trump administration. “The district court erred in granting that relief because the grantees lack a cause of action to press their claims,” she wrote. According to Henderson, only the Government Accountability Office, which is a congressional watchdog agency, had standing to push back on Trump’s order to withhold funding. She was joined in the majority by a Trump appointee, Judge Gregory Katsas.

Dissenting opinion​

The appeals court panel judge who dissented warned that the president’s funding freeze could lead to “tyranny.” By: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

The third judge on the panel, Biden appointee Florence Pan, issued a dissenting opinion in which she called the funding freeze “unlawful.” According to Judge Pan, “The court’s acquiescence in and facilitation of the executive’s unlawful behavior derails the carefully crafted system of checked and balanced power that serves as the greatest security against tyranny — the accumulation of excessive authority in a single branch.”

The post Trump scores $2 billion win in federal appeals court appeared first on Knewz.

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