The judge, Biden appointee Amir Ali, said the federal government did not account for the widespread pain the suspension would inflict upon organizations and groups that need it.
“However, at least to date, Defendants have not offered any explanation for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid, which set off a shockwave and upended reliance interests for thousands of agreements with businesses, nonprofits, and organizations around the country, was a rational precursor to reviewing programs,” Ali wrote.
“The most Defendants offer is the possibility that some of the abruptly terminated contracts might have had clauses which allowed termination in certain circumstances; however, as noted, Defendants have acknowledged that they implemented a blanket suspension that was not based on the presence or consideration of such contractual terms,” he added.
The Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development was paused earlier on Thursday as a judge pondered how the move would affect those employed by it and where its responsibilities could go.
The administration’s plan appears to be to dismantle the agency in its current form and move it under the State Department as a smaller part of the government. Foreign aid was expected to be one of the first chunks of money that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency would target.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The judge considers the Trump administration’s move to be “arbitrary and capricious,” though he believes a review wouldn’t have been.
“There is nothing arbitrary and capricious about executive agencies conducting a review of programs,” he said. “But there has been no explanation offered … as to why reviewing programs — many longstanding and taking place pursuant to contractual terms — required an immediate and wholesale suspension of appropriated foreign aid.”
