Judge blocks Trump’s bid to cut $4bn in US foreign aid

A federal judge in the United States has ruled that the Trump administration cannot unilaterally reduce US Congress’ approved foreign aid by billions.

District Judge Amir Ali in Washington ruled on Wednesday that the White House cannot deduct $ 4 billion in foreign aid funding from international aid organizations like USAID.

Defendants have no justification for rejecting the fundamental requirement that all Congress’s appropriations be done, Ali wrote.

The White House has recently made a significant reduction in foreign aid, which is the most recent legal battle to be fought over. As part of a wider trend of illegal executive overreach, some of those efforts have received criticism.

The Trump administration attempted to revoke billions of dollars in funding last week through a technique known as pocket rescission, which would allow the funds to go unspent. The manoeuvre was last used in 1977, almost 50 years ago, according to the White House.

The administration’s decision to rescind the funds, which were originally intended for the Department of State and USAID, an international assistance organization that had been gutted by the administration, must be made by Ali.

The administration may file an appeal of the decision, as appeals courts have recently rejected similar decisions that challenge the administration’s unilateral decision.