A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze foreign aid funding within two days, responding to signs of non-compliance with a previous court order. Judge Amir H. Ali mandated the State Department and USAID to release funds and settle outstanding bills by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. During a hearing, the Justice Department’s lawyer struggled to provide details on steps taken to comply with the ruling. Allegations arose that associates of Elon Musk were blocking payments, and many grant overseers had been removed, hindering compliance efforts. The judge emphasized the urgency of releasing appropriated funds promptly.
On Tuesday, a federal judge mandated that the Trump administration unfreeze foreign aid funding within two days, citing evidence that it was not adhering to a previous court ruling designed to ensure aid groups worldwide continued to receive financial support.
Judge Amir H. Ali of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia instructed the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to release the funds and settle several outstanding bills by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday.
Previously, on February 13, Judge Ali ordered the Trump administration to continue disbursing these funds while a lawsuit from two health organizations challenged President Trump’s executive order that halted most foreign aid for a period of 90 days.
During a hearing on Tuesday, the evidence indicating that the Trump administration was disregarding that court order and utilizing various legal maneuvers to prevent foreign assistance from being distributed was discussed extensively.
Judge Ali expressed his frustration after asking Indraneel Sur, a Justice Department attorney, four times to identify any actions the Trump administration had undertaken to release the funds. However, Mr. Sur seemed at a loss, taking extended pauses before responding and reverting to legal jargon.
“I am uncertain why I am not receiving a straightforward answer from you on this,” Judge Ali remarked. “Are you informed of any actions taken to actually release those funds?”
“I cannot recite those specific facts,” Mr. Sur replied.
Lauren Bateman, the attorney representing the plaintiff organizations, informed the judge that her clients believed associates of Elon Musk had continued to “veto” payments as recently as February 23, with employees in the State Department’s divisions indicating they were still cut off from the funding systems this week.
Ms. Bateman noted that many staff members responsible for overseeing grants and payments had been suspended or terminated, leaving “hardly anyone” available to adhere to the court’s orders.
Judge Ali instructed the agencies to pay all invoices and “letter of credit drawdown requests” connected to contracts for work completed prior to his February 13 order, including requests for reimbursement on grants and assistance agreements.
“Defendants shall take no actions to hinder the timely disbursement of appropriated foreign assistance funds, and shall undertake all necessary measures to ensure the expedited payments of these funds,” he stated.
Tuesday’s order marked the second occasion on which a federal judge granted a request for a “motion to enforce,” urging the government to act following indications that it was not complying with an earlier ruling. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Rhode Island issued a similar directive after discovering that the Trump administration had continued to delay the release of billions in federal grants he had ordered to be released.
Last week, Judge Ali chose not to hold the government in contempt of court for violating the previous order, but he persisted in requesting specific information. On Tuesday, he also mandated that the government provide a status report on its payment actions by noon on Wednesday.
This ruling surfaced as the Trump administration sought to slow down its compliance by referencing alternative legal authorities to maintain the intended freeze on foreign aid, including conducting a detailed, line-by-line review process for foreign assistance grants.
When questioned on Tuesday about whether the government had initiated any steps to resume payments, Mr. Sur brought up some of those statutes and regulations, seemingly trying to explain the lack of action.
“I assume you realize that it is insufficient to merely reference a legal authority,” Judge Ali asserted.
“I hope you recognize the significance of this matter, as the attorney for your client,” he added.