A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the Trump administration to comply with his previous court order to at least temporarily unfreeze foreign aid funding. But U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali stopped short of holding Secretary of State Marco Rubio and USAID Deputy Administrator-designate Pete Marocco in contempt of court. Among the many programs impacted by the freeze are HIV and tuberculosis treatment, maternal and newborn healthcare, and humanitarian aid to 2.6 million people in northeastern Syria. The Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan, a civilian aid group, said the aid freeze is already worsening famine and the world’s worst refugee crisis, with a spokesperson telling The New York Times, “A week of not finding food would actually mean a lot of death.”
Judge Orders Trump Admin to Comply with Previous Order on Frozen Funds, Balks at Contempt Charges
HeadlineFeb 21, 2025