A US federal judge late on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift a funding freeze that stopped US aid and development programs worldwide for three weeks.
Judge Amir Ali issued the order in a US district court in Washington. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by two health organizations that receive US funding for international programs.
In his order, Ali said the Trump administration argued it needed to freeze funding for thousands of US Agency for International Development (USAID) programs to review them and decide whether to continue them.
However, the judge said that administration officials “have not offered any explanation for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid, which set off a shockwave and upended” contracts with nonprofit groups, businesses, and others “was a rational precursor to reviewing programmes.”
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This ruling is the first to temporarily lift the Trump administration’s funding freeze, which had forced USAID and state department contractors to stop providing humanitarian aid and lay off staff. The freeze affected many aid delivery networks.
The judge’s order allows funds to flow again for contracts that were in place before Trump issued his executive order on January 20 to freeze foreign assistance. Trump said much of US aid did not align with his agenda.
Earlier, in a separate case, another judge extended an order halting the Trump administration’s plan to withdraw most USAID staff worldwide. US district judge Carl Nichols said on Thursday that the order will remain for at least another week.
Nichols made this decision after a three-hour hearing focused on the effects of the administration’s orders. Trump’s ally, Elon Musk, who leads the department of government efficiency (DOGE), had ordered thousands of USAID workers to go on leave and froze foreign aid funding.
The judge said he will issue a written ruling soon on whether the pause should continue.
Nichols, who was appointed by Trump, asked the government about the safety of employees on leave in high-risk overseas areas. When a Justice Department attorney could not provide details, the judge told him to submit documents after the hearing.
USAID staff who were recently in Congo submitted affidavits saying the agency left them without support when looting and political violence broke out in the capital last month. They had to evacuate with their families on their own.
The funding freeze and the removal of top USAID officials have left agency staff in Washington without homes or financial support and at risk of losing their jobs, according to their affidavits.
Last week, the judge temporarily blocked the administration’s plan to put thousands of workers on leave and require those abroad to return to the US within 30 days at government expense. His order was set to expire on Thursday.