Judge again orders US to unfreeze foreign aid, stops short of contempt

A federal judge on Thursday ordered Trump administration officials to comply with his earlier order that they lift a freeze of nearly all foreign aid, though he stopped short of holding them in contempt of court.

The order from US District Judge Amir Ali in Washington came after the administration said in court filings earlier this week that it was keeping thousands of US Agency for International Development and State Department contracts and grants canceled or suspended despite a temporary restraining order that payments be restored.

The administration argued that it was complying with the order, which they said left them room to cancel or suspend contracts while they reviewed them one by one.

Ali wrote on Thursday he "was not inviting defendants to continue the suspension while they reviewed contracts and legal authorities to come up with a new, post-hoc rationalization for the en masse suspension."

Two non-profit groups, which are among numerous plaintiffs suing over the aid freeze, on Wednesday asked Ali to hold the administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio in contempt for "brazen defiance" of his earlier order.

Ali said that contempt was "not warranted on the current record" because the administration in its court filings had recognised the need for "prompt compliance."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid on his first day in office.

The order was followed by aggressive moves to dismantle USAID, the main US foreign aid agency, including by placing much of its staff on leave and halting most of its funding and operations, throwing global humanitarian relief efforts into chaos and jeopardising the delivery of critical food and medical aid.