WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to withhold $4 billion in spending on foreign aid that was appropriated by Congress, at least temporarily.
Chief Justice John Roberts issued a brief order in response to the administration's emergency request filed on Monday seeking to block a federal judge's ruling that would have required the administration to spend the funds.
It is not a final decision, but it means the case is on hold while the Supreme Court decides what next steps to take.
Roberts asked the groups that sued the administration in order to ensure the money is spent to file a response to the government's request by Friday afternoon.
The move comes as the Trump administration has notified Congress of its intention not to spend the funds.
Under the Constitution, it is the job of Congress to allocate funds that the president can spend.
Current federal funding expires Sept. 30. The Trump administration has said it wants to withhold $4 billion in foreign aid, but will spend another $6.5 billion that Congress appropriated.
The underlying lawsuit was brought by various groups that receive foreign-aid funding, led by the Global Health Council.
