Supreme Court judgement is a further blow for foreign aid

In a world where foreign aid has to consistently defend its existence, the recent judgement by the US Supreme Court could not have come at a worse time.

The judgement, issued on Friday, stated that the Trump administration does not have to commit to funding foreign aid to the tune of $10.5 billion, overturning a decision made by Washington D.C. District Court’s preliminary decision. 

The decision comes after the administration claimed that the district court’s ruling was unlawful and threatened the ‘separation of powers’, furthermore, the administration claimed that they were already setting aside $6.5 billion for foreign aid, whilst waiting for further congressional review before the end of the fiscal year. 

With this judgement, some such as Nicholas Sasone, representing the Aids Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, argue that the Supreme Court has enabled the administration to act unilaterally rather than adhering to the law. A move that could have grave consequences for the US.
It also spells trouble for the foreign aid market, as the US has in previous years been one of the biggest donors of foreign aid. But, with the US turning inward, and the OECD predicting a global 9-17% drop in foreign aid for 2025, the question has to be asked, is foreign aid on the downward turn for good?