The U.S. Supreme Court voted 6–3 to allow the Trump administration to freeze more than $4 billion in foreign aid that President Trump sought to cancel using a rare “pocket rescission.” The ruling blocks a lower court order that had required the funds to be released.
The majority said the potential harm to the executive branch’s conduct of foreign affairs outweighed the harm to the nonprofit groups challenging the freeze. However, the Court did not decide whether Trump has broader authority to withhold congressionally approved funds.
The canceled funding included billions for USAID programs and State Department initiatives. A federal judge had previously ruled that the administration could not withhold the money without congressional approval, citing the Impoundment Control Act. Three liberal justices dissented.
In a separate case, the Court also agreed to hear a challenge over whether Trump can remove Federal Trade Commission members without cause. The justices temporarily allowed the removal of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter while the case proceeds, a move critics say could expand presidential control over independent agencies.
