US appeals court allows cuts to foreign aid
(VOVWORLD) - A US federal appeals court on Wednesday lifted an injunction that required the US State Department to continue making foreign aid payments, handing a victory to US President Donald Trump.
 (Illustrative photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic) |
In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned a lower court’s ruling that ordered the Trump administration to restore foreign assistance payments previously approved by Congress.
Writing for the two-judge majority, Circuit Judge Karen Henderson said nonprofit groups "lack a cause of action to press their claims" and therefore failed to satisfy the requirements for an injunction.
President Trump imposed a 90-day pause on all foreign aid on January 20, the same day he was inaugurated for a second term in the White House. His executive order was followed by moves to gut USAID, the main US foreign aid agency, by placing much of its staff on leave and moving to put the independent agency under the control of the State Department.