A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration has not fully complied with a court order pausing the freezing of foreign assistance grants and contracts. The administration was ordered to allow the disbursement of U.S. foreign aid after contractors challenged an executive order by President Trump pausing nearly all foreign assistance. The judge determined that the blanket suspension of congressionally appropriated foreign aid caused irreparable harm to contractors and was likely not allowed under the Administrative Procedure Act. The administration claimed that the terminations of contracts and grants were allowed under their terms, but the judge suggested they were not fully abiding by the court order and seeking new justifications for the pause. The judge emphasized that the administration has not shown evidence that the suspension of aid will not cause irreparable harm. The administration was ordered to cease the blanket suspension immediately but was not held in contempt. This is not the first time in Trump’s second term that the administration has been found in violation of a court order, as a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled earlier that the administration had violated an order halting a federal funding freeze that included a pause in foreign aid. The memo enacting the pause was rescinded in late January. The White House did not provide immediate comment on the matter.
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