Trump wins Supreme Court battle to freeze $4bn foreign aid

The United States Supreme Court has handed President Donald Trump a major victory, allowing his administration to temporarily block over $4 billion in foreign aid that Congress had already approved.

In a Friday ruling, the conservative-dominated court said the president’s authority in foreign affairs outweighs the potential harm to countries depending on the funds. The decision is not final but means no money will move until lower courts settle the fight.

The ruling has sparked outrage among liberals. Justice Elena Kagan, in a fiery dissent, warned that the stakes were “high” and accused the court of rubber-stamping executive overreach without proper hearings.

“The effect is to allow the Executive to withhold $4 billion in aid that Congress appropriated and that will now never reach its intended recipients,” Kagan argued. “Because that result conflicts with the separation of powers, I respectfully dissent.”

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has made no secret of his desire to seize more control over federal spending.

He even tasked tech billionaire Elon Musk with slashing government waste, with USAID, America’s flagship humanitarian agency working in 120 countries among the biggest targets.