Federal judge has just delivered a major blow to the Trump administration, ordering it to pay nearly $2 billion in delayed foreign aid—despite a desperate last-minute attempt by the Department of Justice to stall the payments.
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali denied the DOJ’s request to push back the midnight deadline, blasting the Trump administration for its eleventh-hour plea and failure to act sooner. The case now moves to a panel of three appellate judges, all appointed by Democratic presidents, who will decide whether to issue an emergency stay.
In his fiery decision, Judge Ali didn’t hold back, criticizing the administration for suddenly claiming it lacked the ability to restart payments—an argument they had never previously mentioned in court.
“This is not something that Defendants have previously raised in this Court, whether at the hearing or any time before filing their notice of appeal and seeking a stay pending appeal,” Ali wrote, making it clear that the government’s excuse was too little, too late.
Trump Admin Ignored Court Orders—Now Forced to Pay Up
On Tuesday, Ali ruled that the Trump administration must release the nearly $2 billion in frozen funds to multiple nonprofit organizations. His decision came after determining that Trump officials had blatantly violated a temporary restraining order issued two weeks earlier.
A USAID official confirmed that fulfilling the order requires paying out 1.5 billion dollars across 2,000 USAID payment requests and an additional $400 million in obligations from the State Department.
DOJ attorneys, scrambling to avoid compliance, argued that making the payments so quickly was “technically impossible” and claimed that they needed more time to verify that the disbursements were legitimate.
“The order apparently requires the Government to expend taxpayer dollars without regard to any processes for ensuring that the expenses are legitimate,” DOJ lawyer Indraneel Sur wrote in a late-night filing, fueling concerns over potential fraud.
Judge Ali Confronts Trump’s DOJ Lawyers in Tense Courtroom Showdown
During a tense two-hour hearing, Judge Ali grilled DOJ attorneys, demanding answers about why the administration failed to release the frozen funds. What he got instead was evasion and deflection.
“I’m not sure why I can’t get a straight answer from you on this,” Ali said, pressing a DOJ lawyer who struggled to confirm whether any funds had actually been released.
“I’m not in a position to answer that,” Sur replied.
Ali, visibly frustrated, didn’t let up. “We’re 12 days in, and you’re here representing the government… and you can’t tell me whether any funds have been unfrozen?” he asked incredulously.
Trump’s Last-Ditch Effort to Block Payments—Will It Work?
The DOJ has since filed an appeal, hoping the higher court will intervene before the Wednesday night deadline. However, legal experts argue that the Trump administration’s refusal to comply with the initial order could weaken its position.
One attorney representing the nonprofits argued that the government’s failure to take action was a blatant defiance of the court.
“What the court’s colloquy with the government has revealed is that the government has done nothing to make the flow of payments happen. As far as we are aware, there’s been zero directives from the agency with respect to the unfreezing of funds,” he stated.
With the deadline looming and pressure mounting, all eyes are now on the appellate judges. Will they side with the Trump administration—or will the nearly $2 billion in frozen foreign aid finally be released?
