Adedokun Waliyu 
A United States supreme court has rejected a request by the President Donald Trump administration to withhold nearly $2 billion in payments to foreign aid organisations.
The payments were supposed to cover congress-approved work that the contractors had already done for the government.
In a 5-4 ruling on Wednesday, the top court upheld a lower court ruling ordering the administration to release the funds to contractors and grant recipients of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the state department.
Samuel Alito, one of the four judges who dissented from the decision, said he was “stunned” by the majority’s verdict.
“Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the Government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever) billion[s in] taxpayer dollars? The answer to that question should be an emphatic ‘No,’ but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise,” Alito wrote.
Since he assumed office, Trump has cut numerous aid programmes and placed most USAID staff on leave or dismissed them.
Multiple foreign aid organisations have since challenged Trump’s order in court.
They argued that the prolonged funding freeze would cause them “extraordinary and irreversible harm,” affecting not only their operations but also their employees and the communities that depend on their assistance.
In counter court filings, the Trump administration said it seeks to terminate more than 90 percent of the USAID foreign aid awards.
