The administration of US President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to block the spending of $4.9bn on foreign aid programs

The administration of US President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to freeze $4.9 billion in foreign assistance funds approved by Congress.

The move follows a ruling last week by Federal District Judge Amir Ali, who said the administration cannot unilaterally withhold billions in foreign aid that Congress has already approved.

Under the US Constitution, only Congress can decide how federal money is spent, and the executive branch is legally required to carry out the appropriations unless Congress reverses them.

US Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court on Monday, warning that Ali's ruling "raises a grave and urgent threat to the separation of powers" and forces the executive branch to act against its own judgment.

Trump earlier asked Congress to cancel the $4.9 billion, which was appropriated for State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID) foreign assistance programs.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has made cutting foreign assistance a priority, temporarily freezing new aid and slashing over 90% of USAID programs, arguing that Washington should spend the money at home rather than abroad, including Ukraine.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, the US has sent billions of dollars in assistance to Kiev, most of it through USAID programs. Trump and other US officials have claimed that large portions of this aid were lost to mismanagement or corruption and failed to reach the intended recipients.

Trump has since moved to shut down USAID, saying it is run by "radical lunatics" and advances "woke" initiatives that promote wasteful spending and political agendas.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed last month that the agency is now in "close out mode," with remaining functions absorbed by other departments. He said its closure will save "tens of billions of dollars" for US taxpayers.

The Supreme Court has not indicated when it will rule on the administration's emergency request.

(RT.com)