If the administration is able to get away with its continued noncompliance, literally millions of people around the world will suffer as the lawsuit goes forward.
And we will have to fight that much harder to get the funding restored and to ultimately prevail in the case.
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Here's a refresher about this lawsuit:
January 20
On his very first day back in office, Donald Trump issues an executive order directing agencies to freeze foreign assistance that supports humanitarian efforts worldwide.
February 10
Public Citizen files a lawsuit on behalf of two organizations that receive federal grants for humanitarian work.
February 13
The judge, responding to our motion, requires resumption of foreign aid funding for our clients and others as the case proceeds.
February 26
With the administration so far having failed to comply with the order, the judge orders it to release funds by midnight that day for work already performed.
Instead, the administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn the judge's order and excuse its noncompliance. The Supreme Court could rule tomorrow.
As Allison Zieve, the director of Public Citizen's Litigation Group, told the media:
"The lengths to which the government is going to flout a court order, all for the goal of ending life-saving humanitarian assistance, are staggering."
By the way, this is different from the separate lawsuit we filed over Trump's illegal shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the five other lawsuits we've filed so far against Trump since he returned to power.
One other point worth making:
- Polls reveal that many Americans think foreign aid accounts for 25% or even 50% of all federal spending and that they would prefer it to be something like 10% instead.
- In reality, only about 1% of the federal budget — just one penny out of every dollar — goes to foreign aid.
- With that relatively modest expenditure, American aid helps millions and millions of people all across the world who are facing famine and malnutrition, illness and disease, oppression, disaster, and death.
- We are the richest country on Earth. But in 2023, there were 24 other countries that gave more, as a percentage of their gross national income, in development aid than the United States did.
- Yet it seems that Donald Trump won't be happy until America is dead last on that list.
For progress,
- Lisa Gilbert & Robert Weissman, Co-Presidents of Public Citizen
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