The Trump administration has stated that it will require 'multiple weeks' to disburse nearly $2 billion owed to contractors and organizations impacted by the foreign aid freeze in late January. This announcement comes despite a court order mandating the completion of payments by midnight tonight.
In a filing to a federal court, the administration explained that restarting funding for terminated or suspended agreements is a complex process that cannot be achieved swiftly. The administration cited the need for manual identification, review, and retrieval of each invoice as reasons for the delay.
The State Department is said to owe $4 million for work conducted before the freeze, while the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has already released over $11 million.
Nonprofits and contractors involved in the lawsuit against the administration have criticized the lack of progress in making the payments. They argued that the dismantling of the USAID workforce has made it challenging to comply with court orders.
Judge Amir Ali issued a temporary restraining order two weeks ago, pausing the blanket funding freeze and instructing the revival of funding for existing contracts at the end of the Biden administration. However, the funding has not yet been reinstated.
During an emergency hearing, a Justice Department lawyer was unable to specify which programs had their funding restored or provide details on how the State Department and USAID were implementing the judge's order. In response, the judge directed that all completed foreign aid work be paid by midnight tonight.
