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The ruling marked the second the time a federal judge had pushed the Trump administration to act after finding that it had ignored an earlier order.
Feb. 25, 2025, 3:48 p.m. ET
A federal judge on Tuesday directed the Trump administration to unfreeze foreign aid funding within two days after indications that it was failing to comply with a previous court order to keep money flowing to aid groups around the world.
The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development must release the funds and pay a number of bills by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, Judge Amir H. Ali of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia ruled.
Judge Ali had ordered the Trump administration on Feb. 13 to keep disbursing the funds pending the outcome of a lawsuit brought by two health organizations affected by President Trump’s executive order to pause most foreign aid for 90 days.
A hearing on Tuesday focused on the growing body of evidence that the Trump administration was flouting that order and exploiting various legal workarounds to keep the foreign assistance from flowing.
Judge Ali grew frustrated after pressing Indraneel Sur, a Justice Department lawyer, four times to cite any step the Trump administration had taken to release funds. But Mr. Sur appeared to draw a blank, taking long pauses before speaking and wandering back into legal arguments.
“I’m not sure why I can’t get a straight answer from you on this,” Judge Ali said at one point. “Are you aware of steps taken to actually release those funds?”
