Demonstrators protest against cuts to American foreign aid spending, including USAID and the PEPFAR program to combat HIV/AIDS, at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington DC, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. MARK SCHIEFELBEIN / AP
A divided US federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday, August 13, that President Donald Trump's administration can go ahead with billions of dollars in cuts to foreign assistance programs. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, overturned a ruling by a lower court that the aid payments appropriated by Congress should be restored.
Trump froze billions of dollars in foreign aid spending after taking office in January and began shutting down the US Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID has long been the primary US government organization for distributing humanitarian aid around the world with health and emergency programs in around 120 countries.
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Collapse of development aid puts international cooperation model on shaky ground
