WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court supported the authority of the Federal Judge to order the Trump administration to pay two billion dollars to the US Agency for International Development Contractors, but it did not require immediate payment.
When doing this, the court rejected the vote of 5-4 emergency requests submitted by the Ministry of Justice after the American boycott judge issued Amir Ali a series of rulings calling for the government to freeze the funds issued by President Donald Trump by executive order.
The court was late to dispose of the case for a week. Meanwhile, contractors were not paid.
in Unexpected arrangementThe court said that the deadline made by the immediate payments has now been approved and that the case is already going in the provincial court, with more rulings. A session is scheduled for Thursday.
As such, I must clarify the obligations that the government must fulfill “in order to comply with the temporary re -training order issued on February 13, according to the court. The court added that Ali is considering” the feasibility of any final dates for compliance. “
Four conservative judges opposed the denial of the request, as Judge Samuel Alto wrote that Ali had no “authority not intended to force the government to pay … two billion dollars taxpayers.”
“I am amazed,” added Alto.
The other dissidents of the judges were Clarence Thomas, Nile Gorsh and Brett Kavano.
The government said that he was unable to comply with Ali’s order earlier this week that payments would be made $ 2 billion on Wednesday night.
Specific projects affected by the freezing of payment include the installation of new irrigation stations and pumping water in Ukraine; Waterworks in Lagos, Nigeria; Medical equipment supply in Vietnam and Nepal; And measures to combat malaria in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, the administration worked feverish to review all the current spending of the United States Agency for International Development. He concluded that the evaluation is on Wednesday, which confirms a decision to cut thousands of programs – the largest part of the agency’s activity – With a value of up to $ 60 billion.
These procedures are also scheduled to be challenged, but they were not a judicial place in the Supreme Court.
Senior judges John Roberts I issued administrative residence last weekThe judge’s judge’s lower awaiting ruling, while the Supreme Court decided the next steps.
The basic lawsuit has been filed by non -profit organizations and companies receiving funding for the US International Development Agency to provide external aid services. The unions representing the US Agency for International Development filed their own lawsuit.
Upon assuming his post, Trump and his ally Elon Musk have taken aggressive measures to reduce the size of the federal government, with one of the main goals of the US International Development Agency. Last Thursday, the United States Agency for International Development who lost their jobs Remove their offices In Washington, DC, an office while supporters gathered abroad.
But in the sudden behavior, the government left the contractors from their pocket to complete the work already, the contractors claimed. Among other things, they said in a lawsuit that the government had failed to follow the right track under a law called Administrative Procedures Law.
Ali originally issued a temporary restriction order that prevented part of Trump’s executive order that requires reassessing external aid. The judge spent that the executive order could not be relied upon as a reason to end the financing of foreign aid in all fields, although this did not prevent officials from conducting a review of each case separately.
After two weeks, Ali issued a new order that the government needs to pay immediate payments for some completed contracts, which prompted the administration to appeal.
Acting Attorney General Sarah Harris told the Supreme Court in the government file that while “the government is committed to paying legitimate claims for the proper completed work,” Ali had no power to order specific payments.
Prosecutors said it is necessary to make payments, while forcing contractors to get rid of people and those working in foreign countries, including Ukraine, Georgia and Nigeria, and may be afraid of their safety because of their unpaid bills.
In their file in the Supreme Court, lawyers told contractors that one of the organizations recounts 110 workers last week as a result of the lack of payment, while the last legal exposure to his failure to pay the clip.
Lawyers said that the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to participate in such an early stage of litigation. They also argued that the Trump administration had “erupted” for about two weeks “the temporary restriction order” issued by Ali.
