Name: Federal Judge Orders Trump Admin to Restore Funding for Foreign Aid
Uploaded: 2025-02-14T14:27:46.000Z
Description: A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to restore funding for nonprofit organizations that rely on federal grants to provide foreign aid assistance.

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

NTD Plus

News

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.

NTD Good Morning

Trump Has ‘Come to the End of His Rope’ on an Iran Deal: Analyst

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

Significant That US, Five Eyes Allies Issue Joint Statement Warning China-Espionage for First Time: Taylor Hathorn

Nikou Bani

Princeton Commemorates 37 Years Since Tiananmen Square Massacre

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

Migrant Boat With 240 People Intercepted at Sea

4 Senate Republicans Join Democrats to Defeat the SAVE Act

Zelenskyy Invites Putin for Face-to-Face Talks to End War

Kimberly Hayek is a reporter for The Epoch Times. She covers California news and has worked as an editor and on scene at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2019 migrant caravan crisis.

Kimberly Hayek

Daniel Monaghan is a reporter for NTD News covering culture, social issues, and education. He holds a BA in Political Science and Government.

Daniel Monaghan

World News

Americas

US Imposes Sanctions on Cuban Leader

Spencer Pratt ‘Has the Wind at His Back’ for LA Mayoral Primary: Democratic Strategist

'Willing to Kill on Industrial Scale’: Tiananmen Massacre Anniversary Illustrates CCP's Nature, Says Author

Dave Martin is NTD's Senior Sports Reporter and sports analyst. He also hosts "Data Hub" segments during NTD's special election coverage, "The Nation Decides."

Dave Martin

Brunson, Knicks Win Again With Late Comeback Over Spurs

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (June 5)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (June 4)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (June 3)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (June 2)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (June 1)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (May 29)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (May 28)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (May 27)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (May 26)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (May 25)

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

State News

California

More Than 17,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Southern California Wildfire Threatens Homes

Rudy Blalock is a Southern California-based daily news reporter for NTD. Originally from Michigan, he moved to California in 2017 and the sunshine and ocean have kept him here since. In his free time, he may be found underwater scuba diving, on top of a mountain hiking or snowboarding, or at home meditating—which helps fuel his active lifestyle.

Rudy Blalock

40,000 Ordered to Evacuate as Chemical Tank Leaks, Threatens Explosion in California

Video of US Fighter Jet Shooting Down UFO Over Lake Huron Emerges in New Pentagon Files

Mary Man is a writer for NTD. She has traveled around the world covering China, international news, and arts and culture.

Mary Man

China News

Epoch Times Obtains Over 2,000 Unseen Tiananmen Square Photos on 37th Anniversary of the June 4th Massacre

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Sports News

Kyle Busch, Two-Time NASCAR Champion, Dies at 41

Haika Mrema

Medical Plane Crash in New Mexico Mountains Kills 4, Sparks Wildfire

California Mayor Resigns, Will Plead Guilty to Acting as Chinese Agent

Jill McLaughlin is an award-winning journalist covering politics, environment, and statewide issues. She has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Oregon, Nevada, and New Mexico. Jill was born in Yosemite National Park and enjoys the majestic outdoors, traveling, golfing, and hiking.

Jill McLaughlin

Scott Pelley Fired by ’60 Minutes’ After Clash With Management

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to restore funding for nonprofit organizations that rely on federal grants to provide foreign aid assistance.

After taking office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-suspends-us-foreign-assistance-for-90-days-upon-further-review-5796208"> announced</a> a 90-day freeze on all foreign aid and development funding, pending reviews to ensure the programs aligned with U.S. interests. A group of nonprofit organizations filed a<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277336/gov.uscourts.dcd.277336.1.0.pdf"> lawsuit</a> on Feb. 11, alleging that Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order violated the Administrative Procedure Act.

U.S. government’s foreign policy is “not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values,” according to Trump’s<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/reevaluating-and-realigning-united-states-foreign-aid/"> executive order</a>.

“They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries,” it states. “It is the policy of United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.”

In a<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277336/gov.uscourts.dcd.277336.21.0_4.pdf"> ruling</a> on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali stated that the administration failed to justify why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid was “a rational precursor to reviewing programs.”

Ali said that implementing the blanket suspension was likely “arbitrary and capricious” because it failed to consider the “immense reliance interests” of businesses and other organizations that had previously been awarded the aid.

The foreign aid funding freeze has led to nonprofit organizations shutting offices and terminating staff. Some shut down their business entirely, according to the ruling. Ali said the plaintiffs have presented evidence that the funding freeze could result in “a catastrophic effect” on humanitarian missions.

One of the nonprofit groups that worked with refugees and asylum seekers laid off 535 staff members and shut program offices due to the funding freeze, according to the court document.

“To be sure, there is nothing arbitrary and capricious about executive agencies conducting a review of programs,” the judge stated. “But there has been no explanation offered in the record, let alone a ‘satisfactory explanation ... including a rational connection between the facts found and the choice made,’ as to why reviewing programs—many longstanding and taking place pursuant to contractual terms—required an immediate and wholesale suspension of appropriated foreign aid.”

Ali said the nonprofit groups have made a “strong preliminary showing of irreparable harm” and their legal challenges were likely to prevail on the merits of their claim.

The judge granted the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Office of Management and Budget, and their agents from enforcing contract terminations or stop-work orders and suspending foreign aid grants that have been in place before Trump’s return to the White House on Jan. 20.

Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, president of the Global Health Council, which led the nonprofit organizations in filing the lawsuit, said that the ruling was “a vital step” toward restoring U.S. foreign assistance programs.

“It clears the path for organizations to resume their life saving work, showcasing the best of American values: compassion, leadership, and a commitment to global health, stability, and shared prosperity,” Dunn-Georgiou said in a <a href="https://globalhealth.org/media/ghc-welcomes-temporary-restraining-order-halting-the-trump-administrations-freeze-on-foreign-aid-funding/">statement</a>.

The president is calling for a review of those programs to determine whether they have “programmatic efficiency” and to see whether they are consistent with U.S. foreign policy, directing the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to “enforce this pause.” The executive order also includes a waiver for Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s office to waive any rules for certain programs.

Funding for certain foreign aid programs can be resumed before the 90-day period is up if an appropriate review is conducted and the OMB director or secretary of state’s office determines they should be continued, the executive order said.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the State Department for comment but did not hear back by publication time.

On Jan. 29, the State Department issued a <a href="https://www.state.gov/prioritizing-americas-national-interests-one-dollar-at-a-time/">waiver</a> for humanitarian aid, covering “life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance.”

The nonprofit organizations argued that there have been difficulties in the waiver process.

“At the hearing, defendants pointed to the waiver process but did not rebut this evidence, acknowledging that the waiver process may have had ‘hiccups’,” the judge stated. “At this stage, the record before the Court does not suggest that the waiver process in place has mitigated the irreparable harms plaintiffs face.”

The Trump administration has suspended most USAID programs and<a href="https://admin4.theepochtimes.com/us/usaid-puts-all-direct-hire-personnel-on-administrative-leave-5804467"> placed</a> its employees on administrative leave. More than 230 contracts issued by the agency have been terminated since Trump issued the order to pause foreign aid grants, according to a<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25523951/terminationslist.pdf"> list</a> released by the administration on Feb. 12.

<em>Jack Phillips contributed to this report.</em>

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/federal-judge-orders-trump-admin-to-restore-foreign-aid-funding-5810043">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

Politics

04_Top Stories

Management

Latest Clips

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

02_Second Lead

Executive Branch

Courts

Donald Trump

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.