A U.S. judge obliges the Trump administration to lift the freeze on foreign aid
Journalistic Report by Dr. Abdelilah Nqir
In a historic decision, a U.S. judge ordered the Trump administration to lift the freeze on American foreign aid, stating that the freeze by the United States Agency for International Development had caused irreparable harm.
Judge Amir Ali pointed out that Trump’s lawyers had failed to explain the reason for suspending the aid, which sent shockwaves among companies and non-governmental organizations across the country.
This decision is one of several legal challenges to Trump’s measures to halt humanitarian aid and other programs under the pretext of cost reduction.
The impact of the decision extends beyond the United States and includes investigative journalism organizations. Rowan Damen, director of “Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism,” said the decision had created chaos among organizations.
The decision also indicated that the U.S. had allocated $268 million in 2025 to support independent media and freedom of information, having funded hundreds of non-governmental media outlets and thousands of journalists in previous years.
Many indirectly rely on support from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department through groups like the National Endowment for Democracy.
Gerard Ryle, executive director of the ICIJ, stated that investigative journalism had become more important and more challenging than ever.
Ryle also noted that cross-border journalism would play a greater role in protecting the public interest in the future, as no country can stop it.
In other news, tax justice advocates are cautiously optimistic about the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the global minimum tax agreement and the United Nations negotiations for a long-term tax treaty. They believe this could pave the way for progress by other countries.
