Congress needs to act to ensure President Trump’s efforts to find and cut wasteful, fraudulent, and abusive spending are not in vain. 

 Today the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision upholding a DC District Court ruling ordering the Trump administration to resume continuation of foreign aid payments they had previously suspended. Justice Alito, joined by Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, dissented.  

Landmark Legal Foundation is on top of this issue having called on Congress to enact legislation bolstering the executive branch’s authority to curb waste and fraud.  Our Vice President of Legal Affairs, Mike O’Neill discusses this matter on Mike Ferguson’s radio show here and writes about it in an editorial published in the Washington Times here.   

Today’s decision comes in a lawsuit in which recipients of USAID funds filed a lawsuit in federal district court in the District of Columbia. They alleged that Trump’s pause on foreign aid payments violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The District Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on February 13, 2025, restoring funding while the issue was further reviewed. On February 25, 2025, in a second order, the District Court issued a 36-hour deadline for the Trump administration to release two billion dollars of funds. Chief Justice Roberts granted a temporary stay on that ruling while the Supreme Court considered the issue but today’s ruling lifts that stay. The District Court ruling is now in force and the Trump administration is compelled to resume USAID payments.  

This decision shows the need for congressional action on wasteful government spending. The left has made it clear that they will fight tooth and nail to preserve the power of unelected federal bureaucrats. Every serious attempt the Trump administration is making to reduce the size and scope of the government is facing similar legal challenges.  

The President should not have to shoulder this burden alone.  The American people overwhelmingly support efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.   Congress must step up and begin enacting legislation to reduce spending and abolish unnecessary and inefficient government agencies. By acting quickly, Congress will ensure that the President’s laudable efforts to cut government spending are not thwarted by legal challenges.