"In a court filing on Monday, lawyers for the administration asked for an emergency stay to halt the order issued by the lower court and allow the administration to continue to withhold about $4bn in congressionally approved funds. Last month, Trump said he would not spend the money, invoking disputed authority that was last used by a US president roughly 50 years ago. Last week, US District Judge Amir Ali ruled that the Republican administration's decision to withhold the funding was likely illegal."
"The Justice Department said in its filing on Monday that the administration views the $4bn of disputed foreign aid funding as contrary to US foreign policy. Congress budgeted billions in foreign aid last year, about $11bn of which must be spent or obligated before a deadline of September 30 the last day of the US government's current fiscal year lest it expire. After being sued by aid groups that expected to compete for the funding, the administration said last month that it intended to spend $6.5bn of the disputed funds."
The Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court for an emergency stay to halt a lower-court order and allow the administration to continue withholding about $4bn in congressionally approved funds. President Trump invoked disputed authority, last used roughly 50 years ago, to refuse spending the money. US District Judge Amir Ali ruled the administration's withholding was likely illegal and enjoined the administration from doing so. The disputed funds were approved by Congress for foreign aid, United Nations peacekeeping operations, and democracy-promotion efforts. Congress budgeted about $11bn that must be obligated before September 30 or expire. The administration said it intends to spend $6.5bn and sought a pocket rescission to block $4bn.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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