Supreme Court Permits Trump to Cancel Billions In Foreign Aid Funds

Articles | September 26, 2025 | by Catholics for Catholics

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The court’s decision allowed him to hold back $4 billion in foreign aid money previously allocated by Congress.

By Catholics for Catholics

In another political victory for President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court on Friday permitted his administration to hold back $4 billion in foreign aid.

The move was seen by some political observers as a major test of Trump’s efforts to take away the power of the purse from legislators. Congress had previously approved and appropriated the monies, according to The Washington Times.

In its order, the court’s conservative majority said the president’s capacity to manage foreign affairs appeared “to outweigh the potential harm” faced by foreign aid beneficiaries. The court warned that its decision, a provisional holding while litigation continues through the lower courts, “should not be read as a final determination on the merits.”

For now, the court’s decision permits Trump to block the funds. But the judges emphasized that it had not issued a final ruling on the issue. Nevertheless, since the monies are due to expire at the end of this month, when the fiscal year ends, that means a victory for the president.

“The government, at this early stage, has made a sufficient showing that the Impoundment Control Act precludes respondents’ suit, brought pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, to enforce the appropriations at issue here,” the court said.

But Justice Elena Kagan begged to differ, saying the court was once again precipitating in on its emergency docket to give the President a victory when it should put the topic off for a full discussion.

“The standard for granting emergency relief is supposed to be stringent. The Executive has not come close to meeting it here,” she wrote.

Kagan added: “I appreciate that the majority refrains from offering a definitive view of this dispute and the questions raised in it. But the effect of its ruling is to allow the Executive to cease obligating $4 billion in funds that Congress appropriated for foreign aid, and that will now never reach its intended recipients.”