Humanitarian groups say the freeze is having a devastating effect, upending hundreds of projects, forcing USAID partner groups to lay off or furlough thousands of US workers and putting people who depend on the assistance at risk of disease and death. The groups say the money includes payment for work already completed. The Trump administration says Ali overstepped his authority and imposed an impossible-to-meet deadline of 11:59 p.m. Washington time Wednesday night in his latest order.
“This new order requiring payment of enormous sums of foreign-assistance money in less than 36 hours intrudes on the prerogatives of the executive branch,” acting US Solicitor General Sarah Harris said in the filing.
The request will go to Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles emergency matters involving courts in the nation’s capital. One possibility is that Roberts could issue an administrative stay to put Ali’s order on temporary hold while the court considers whether to let the freeze continue for a longer period of time.
It’s the second Trump-related clash to reach the Supreme Court since he took office Jan. 20 and began aggressively trying to remake the federal government. The court so far has held off acting on Trump’s bid to immediately fire the head of a federal whistleblower office.
