A federal judge declined to order President Donald Trump’s administration to restore thousands of foreign aid contracts and grants that have been canceled since he took office. However, the judge did rule that the administration must expedite payments of close to $2 billion for completed work. The judge also determined that the president cannot withhold spending money designated for foreign aid by Congress. The decision came after organizations sued to challenge the administration’s freeze of foreign aid payments. Despite a previous ruling to lift the freeze, the administration continued to withhold payments, prompting the judge to set deadlines for payment processing. The Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid has caused disruptions in humanitarian relief efforts worldwide.
