{"id":559,"date":"2025-03-06T03:22:58","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T03:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/03\/06\/supreme-court-rejects-trumps-foreign-aid-freeze-as-trade-war-brews-over-tariffs-cnn\/"},"modified":"2025-03-06T03:22:58","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T03:22:58","slug":"supreme-court-rejects-trumps-foreign-aid-freeze-as-trade-war-brews-over-tariffs-cnn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/03\/06\/supreme-court-rejects-trumps-foreign-aid-freeze-as-trade-war-brews-over-tariffs-cnn\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court rejects Trump\u2019s foreign aid freeze as trade war brews over tariffs – CNN"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A divided Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration\u2019s request to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid approved by Congress frozen. However, the court did not immediately say when the money must be released, allowing the White House to continue to dispute the issue in lower courts.<\/p>\n

” data-duration=”03:24″ data-source-html=” – Source: CNN<\/a> <\/span>” data-fave-thumbnails=”{“big”: { “uri”: “https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/paula-reid-usaid.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” }, “small”: { “uri”: “https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/paula-reid-usaid.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” } }” data-vr-video=”false” data-show-html=”” data-byline-html=”<\/p>\n

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Updated 10:04 PM EST, Wed March 5, 2025 <\/div>\n

” data-check-event-based-preview data-is-vertical-video-embed data-network-id data-publish-date=”2025-03-05T15:55:16.006Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/05\/politics\/video\/paula-reid-scotus-foreign-aid-decision-trump-digvid” data-branding-key data-video-slug=”paula-reid-scotus-foreign-aid-decision-trump-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”paula-reid-scotus-foreign-aid-decision-trump-digvid” data-video-tags data-breakpoints=”{“video-resource–media-extra-large”: 660}” data-display-video-cover=”true” data-details data-track-zone=”top” data-sticky-anchor-pos=”bottom”> <\/p>\n

A divided Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration\u2019s request to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid approved by Congress frozen. However, the court did not immediately say when the money must be released, allowing the White House to continue to dispute the issue in lower courts.<\/p>\n

” data-check-event-based-preview data-network-id data-publish-date=”2025-03-05T15:55:16.006Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/05\/politics\/video\/paula-reid-scotus-foreign-aid-decision-trump-digvid” data-branding-key data-video-slug=”paula-reid-scotus-foreign-aid-decision-trump-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”paula-reid-scotus-foreign-aid-decision-trump-digvid” data-video-tags> \"paula<\/picture> <\/div>\n

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Hear what stood out to CNN’s Paula Reid about the Supreme Court’s decision <\/p>\n

03:24 <\/span> – Source: CNN<\/a> <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Hear what stood out to CNN’s Paula Reid about the Supreme Court’s decision<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

03:24 <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u2022 Trade war: <\/strong>President Donald Trump said his call today with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ended in a \u201c\u2018somewhat\u2019 friendly manner,\u201d<\/a> but he did not mention any potential compromise on the trade war between the two nations<\/a>. US stocks however rallied after the administration said it would grant a one-month exemption for tariffs<\/a> on Canada and Mexico that affect automakers. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Court rulings: <\/strong>A divided Supreme Court rejected Trump\u2019s request<\/a> to keep billions in foreign aid approved by Congress frozen. Separately, a federal appeals court allowed the president to remove the head of a government watchdog<\/a> agency while a legal challenge to his firing plays out. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Cuts at the VA: <\/strong> The administration is planning to cut tens of thousands of employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a memo obtained by CNN<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u2022 US-Hamas talks: <\/strong>The US is negotiating directly with Hamas about hostages and the Gaza ceasefire<\/a>, upending its tradition of not talking to groups it considers terrorist organizations, according to officials. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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The Trump administration has already terminated 2,400 Veterans Affairs employees, according to a Tuesday letter<\/a> addressed to the Veterans Affairs secretary from two Maine lawmakers, independent Sen. Angus King and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. <\/p>\n

The letter to Secretary Doug Collins expressed \u201cutmost concern\u201d about the lack of a stated reason for the firings and the number of veterans among those who have been fired. <\/p>\n

Some background: <\/strong>The administration is ultimately planning to cut tens of thousands of employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Rep. Derrick Van Orden said Elon Musk distanced himself and the Department of Government Efficiency effort from the widespread firings across the federal government, which he blamed on federal department heads, during a meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday evening. <\/p>\n

Musk told the group that recently announced plans to cut employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs \u201cwasn\u2019t a DOGE decision,\u201d Van Orden told CNN\u2019s Manu Raju. <\/p>\n

CNN has reported on a March 4 memo from the VA chief of staff Christopher Syrek that the VA and DOGE will move \u201caggressively\u201d to restructure across the entire department and \u201cresize\u201d the workforce. <\/p>\n

Van Orden said Musk told lawmakers the \u201cindividual departments\u201d were involved in plans to cut employees across the federal government, and that DOGE was making the \u201cassumption\u201d that department heads know who was being \u201cunproductive\u201d and would \u201creward the people that are being productive.\u201d <\/p>\n

He told CNN that \u201cyeah,\u201d Musk was telling House Republicans he was not involved in the firings, and that Musk did not pass judgement on the merits of the deep job cuts. <\/p>\n

Musk has been a central figure in the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to slash the federal government, though the White House has made clear that Musk is serving as a special government employee and is not officially tasked with leading DOGE. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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President Donald Trump said he told Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday to crack down on the homeless encampments in the nation\u2019s capital, particularly those outside the White House and State Department. <\/p>\n

Last year, several encampments across the city were cleared out<\/a> after homelessness in Washington jumped 14% in 2023. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Elon Musk acknowledged to House Republicans that the Department of Government Efficiency has made some mistakes as decisions about certain federal freezes and firings have had to be reversed. <\/p>\n

The comments came in his closed-door meeting with GOP lawmakers. <\/p>\n

Multiple GOP members told CNN that Musk walked them through how DOGE has approached cuts to the federal government and had members of his team address the group as well. A number of Republicans asked questions, with some raising concerns about how the process has been handled. <\/p>\n

One GOP lawmaker detailed why Republicans are pushing Musk behind closed doors, while remaining publicly supportive. <\/p>\n

\u201cRepublican members may be reticent to criticize Elon publicly because they understand that you praise in public. If you\u2019re good teammate, you criticize behind closed doors,\u201d the lawmaker said. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Elon<\/picture> <\/div>\n

Elon Musk emerged from a meeting with House Republicans after nearly two hours, telling reporters, \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of room \u2014 opportunity to improve expenditures in the government, and we\u2019re making good progress.\u201d <\/p>\n

Pressed by CNN\u2019s Manu Raju on if Congress should get a vote on these cuts, Musk replied, \u201cwell they do have a vote on it.\u201d Asked if that could include a rescissions package, Musk replied \u201cyeah, sure.\u201d <\/p>\n

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the idea of a legislative package codifying cuts made by Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency was discussed during the meeting. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about that because most of this will be part of the [fiscal year 2026] budgeting process and the appropriations. And if there are savings and things that relate to [fiscal year 2025] and we have already passed the [continuing resolution], then yes, of course, you will have rescissions\u201d that come from the executive branch, he told reporters as he left the meeting. <\/p>\n

Some context: <\/strong>During the tech billionaire\u2019s meeting with GOP senators earlier toda<\/a>y, Sen. Rand Paul, a strong advocate for shrinking government, made the case that DOGE\u2019s cuts should be moving through Congress in the form of rescissions packages in order to be protected from the courts. <\/p>\n

A rescissions package makes changes to funding that was appropriated by Congress and only requires a simple majority vote in the Senate and a majority vote in the House. Republicans have control of both chambers. <\/p>\n

The challenge for Republicans, however, is that voting on rescissions packages means that they will be on the record for voting for cuts that could be unpopular with some in the American public and even with some of their own constituents. <\/p>\n

This post was updated with Speaker Johnson\u2019s remarks.<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Rep.<\/picture> <\/div>\n

GOP Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York was shocked to learn that 4,000 Internal Revenue Service employees in his district are on the verge of losing their office space when he met today with Treasury union representatives. <\/p>\n

The IRS office in Garbarino\u2019s Long Island district is one of over 100 offices across the country that help with taxpayer assistance that the Trump administration is looking to close, according to a list circulated last month and reviewed by CNN. <\/p>\n

Despite being in the middle of tax season, a total of 7,400 IRS probationary employees have already been laid off according to documents provided to CNN, and plans are being drafted to eventually cut the agency\u2019s workforce in half, according to sources<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The IRS has long been<\/a> a political punching bag for Republicans, particularly after Democrats bolstered the agency with billions in new funding meant to help modernize the nation\u2019s tax collector. Congressional leaders secured a bipartisan agreement to cut the IRS by $20 billion last year<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But in the height of tax season, some Republicans acknowledge that the core functions of the federal agency need to be preserved. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure that the efforts to find waste, fraud and abuse don\u2019t impair the necessary functions of the federal government,\u201d GOP Rep. Dan Newhouse told CNN when asked about cuts being made to the IRS. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday imposed blanket 25% tariffs<\/a> on Canada and Mexico, and doubled tariffs on those from China. <\/p>\n

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would implement a 25% tariff on $20.7 billion ($30 billion Canadian) of US goods immediately, followed by an additional $86.2 billion ($125 billion Canadian) in 21 days\u2019 time. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what else you should know:<\/em> <\/p>\n

A call with Trudeau: <\/strong> <\/p>\n

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