The two nonprofits that are suing the US government over its foreign aid freeze want a judge to hold the defendants in contempt.
In February, 2025 two non-profit organizations challenging the Trump administration’s freeze on nearly all foreign aid asked a federal judge to hold top administration officials in contempt of court.
The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Journalism Development Network filed the motion Wednesday in Washington, D.C., federal court.
The groups allege that officials defied U.S. District Judge Amir Ali’s temporary restraining order issued last week, which required the administration to lift its broad freeze on foreign aid.
In a court filing, the administration claimed it had the authority to suspend or cancel thousands of contracts and grants despite the judge’s order.
The non-profits countered in their motion that “this Court should not brook such brazen defiance of the express terms of its order.”
They asked Ali to hold Secretary of State Marco Rubio, USAID Deputy Administrator Pete Marocco, and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought in civil contempt.
Requests for comment from the White House, the State Department, USAID, and the Office of Management and Budget were not immediately returned.
Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze
President Donald Trump, a Republican, issued an executive order on his first day in office placing a 90-day pause on all foreign aid.
The order was followed by moves to restructure USAID, the main U.S. foreign aid agency, including placing much of its staff on leave and exploring the integration of USAID into the State Department.
These actions have disrupted international humanitarian relief efforts and slowed or halted the delivery of food, medicine, and other potentially life-saving aid.
The lawsuit by the two non-profits is among several legal challenges to the administration’s approach to foreign aid.
Judge Ali’s temporary restraining order allows USAID and the State Department to enforce the terms of specific agreements but prohibits blanket suspensions or cancellations of contracts and grants.
Dispute Over Compliance
In its filing, the administration stated it was complying with the order while reviewing its contracts and grants.
Officials claimed that all agreements reviewed so far allowed for cancellation or suspension, suggesting no broad violation of the court order.
The non-profits called this claim “straining credulity,” citing anonymous USAID employees who reported seeing no evidence of case-by-case review.
In a separate filing, Marocco said USAID had approved 21 payments totaling over $250 million, expected to be disbursed this week. He did not specify whether these approvals were directly in response to the court order.
Since Trump took office, USAID has terminated 498 contracts, grants, or funding agreements for policy reasons, including projects related to diversity, equity, inclusion, sustainability, climate change, and what were deemed wasteful programs.
Marocco also reported suspensions of other USAID agreements but did not provide exact numbers.
The State Department has terminated 25 foreign assistance contracts and 733 grants and suspended 711 contracts and 6,824 grants. Officials warned that if the suspensions are lifted without further review, the department may consider terminating them.
Fraud Concerns Cited
Marocco cited concerns about the adequacy of review processes at USAID and the State Department, claiming that foreign aid payment procedures were prone to fraud.
Neither Marocco nor President Trump has provided evidence of actual fraud in connection with these programs.
The dispute highlights ongoing tension between the administration’s effort to restructure foreign aid spending and legal challenges seeking to preserve the continuity of humanitarian programs around the world.