In a significant legal blow to the Trump administration, a federal judge has temporarily lifted the freeze on U.S. humanitarian aid and development funding, which had halted assistance programs worldwide. The ruling, issued late Thursday, gives the administration five days to demonstrate compliance.
Judge Amir H. Ali’s decision follows mounting concerns over the financial devastation caused by the sudden suspension of payments to contractors, nonprofits, and suppliers engaged in U.S. aid programs. The funding freeze, initiated under President Donald Trump and his aide Elon Musk, has sparked a series of lawsuits from aid organizations, government employees, and suppliers, challenging the administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and broader foreign assistance efforts.
The administration has justified the freeze as necessary to review and potentially eliminate certain foreign aid programs. However, Judge Ali criticized the lack of a clear rationale for the sweeping suspension, stating that officials had failed to provide a reasonable explanation for why an immediate and blanket halt was necessary.
“The administration has not offered any explanation for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid, which set off a shockwave and upended contracts with thousands of nonprofit groups, businesses, and others, was a rational precursor to reviewing programs,” the judge wrote.
The freeze has left contractors, farmers, and suppliers without payment for completed work, leading to layoffs and financial instability. Reports indicate that undelivered food aid is rotting in ports, and other critical assistance remains vulnerable to theft and misuse. Judge Ali ordered the administration to notify all organizations with existing aid contracts of the ruling and demonstrate compliance by Tuesday.
The Trump administration has yet to issue a public response.
The lawsuit was filed by the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Global Health Council, representing health organizations that rely on U.S. funding for international aid projects. The ruling also prevents Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other administration officials from enforcing stop-work orders issued to foreign aid contractors.
While the administration has argued that selective waivers were being issued to mitigate the impact of the freeze, the judge dismissed this claim, citing testimony that no such system currently exists and that USAID’s online payment platform is non-functional.
In a separate case, another federal judge, Carl Nichols, extended a temporary block on a Trump administration order that would significantly reduce USAID staff presence worldwide. Judge Nichols pressed government attorneys on how the administration planned to ensure the safety of aid workers abroad, particularly after reports emerged of USAID staffers being left stranded amid violent unrest in Congo last month.
As legal battles continue, aid groups and contractors remain in limbo, awaiting further court decisions that could determine the future of U.S. humanitarian assistance around the world.
