{"id":2474331,"date":"2025-08-13T16:01:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T20:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-c-circuit-court-affirms-trumps-slashing-of-usaid-waste\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T16:02:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T20:02:44","slug":"d-c-circuit-court-affirms-trumps-slashing-of-usaid-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-c-circuit-court-affirms-trumps-slashing-of-usaid-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"D.C. Circuit Court Affirms Trump\u2019s Slashing Of USAID Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fd-c-circuit-court-affirms-trumps-slashing-of-usaid-waste%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2474331&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that former President Donald Trump had the legal and presidential authority to cut billions in taxpayer funds to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and halt various overseas programs it financed. This decision overturns lower court attempts that had limited Trump&#8217;s power to restrict spending, affirming the president&#8217;s constitutional and statutory right to impound funds allocated by Congress.The ruling also restricts lawsuits and injunctions aimed at blocking presidential actions related to budget cuts, which had previously hindered Trump&#8217;s efforts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-malaysia-plans-to-set-up-second-5g-network-from-next-year-sources\/\" title=\"Exclusive-Malaysia plans to set up second 5G network from next year -sources\">reduce wasteful spending<\/a> on projects such as foreign &#8220;Sesame Street&#8221; programs, LGBT initiatives abroad, and other controversial expenditures. The court emphasized that grantees suing to maintain funding lacked proper legal standing, reinforcing the executive branch&#8217;s control over federal spending. This judgment marks a significant win for Trump and his administration&#8217;s efforts to reform government spending and limit judicial interference in executive budget decisions.  <\/p>\n<div id=\"ld-4686-3758\"><\/div>\n<p><script>(function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:14832835450050406,size:[0, 0],id:\"ld-4686-3758\"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.decide.dev\/_js\/ajs.js\";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,\"script\",\"ld-ajs\");<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Pallets_of_food,_water_and_supplies_staged_to_be_delivered_(4288415235).jpg\">USAID U.S. Agency for International Development\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/13\/d-c-circuit-court-trump-always-had-the-authority-to-slash-usaids-tax-dollar-waste\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=D.C.%20Circuit%20Court:%20Trump%20Always%20Had%20The%20Authority%20To%20Slash%20USAID%E2%80%99s%20Tax%20Dollar%20Waste&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/13\/d-c-circuit-court-trump-always-had-the-authority-to-slash-usaids-tax-dollar-waste\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=D.C.%20Circuit%20Court:%20Trump%20Always%20Had%20The%20Authority%20To%20Slash%20USAID%E2%80%99s%20Tax%20Dollar%20Waste&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/13\/d-c-circuit-court-trump-always-had-the-authority-to-slash-usaids-tax-dollar-waste\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/13\/d-c-circuit-court-trump-always-had-the-authority-to-slash-usaids-tax-dollar-waste\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=D.C.%20Circuit%20Court:%20Trump%20Always%20Had%20The%20Authority%20To%20Slash%20USAID%E2%80%99s%20Tax%20Dollar%20Waste&amp;body=The%20ruling%20paves%20the%20way%20to%20limit%20the%20number%20of%20lawsuits%20and%20subsequent%20injunctions%20designed%20to%20keep%20Trump%20from%20doing%20his%20job.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/13\/d-c-circuit-court-trump-always-had-the-authority-to-slash-usaids-tax-dollar-waste\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>President Donald Trump had the presidential and legal authority to terminate billions of taxpayer dollars to the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/26\/exclusive-usaid-blew-hundreds-of-thousands-in-taxpayer-slush-funds-on-ukrainian-pickle-maker-pet-accessories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >countless overseas pet projects<\/a><\/a>, the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed this week.<\/p>\n<p>Ever since Trump issued his day-one executive order effectively freezing USAID&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/06\/24\/nyt-casually-admits-usaid-squandered-money-but-still-laments-its-closure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wasting<\/a> of Americans&rsquo; hard-earned dollars, judges have encroached on his presidential authority by hampering his power to <a href=\"https:\/\/americarenewing.com\/the-presidents-constitutional-power-of-impoundment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">impound<\/a>, or &ldquo;decline to spend the full amount of an appropriated fund.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-185227229\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In its <a href=\"https:\/\/media.cadc.uscourts.gov\/opinions\/docs\/2025\/08\/25-5097-2129854.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2-1 ruling<\/a> published on Wednesday, the D.C. Circuit Court not only reversed those attempts, but also <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BurnhamDC\/status\/1955653734773477420\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">paved the way to limit<\/a> the number of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/14\/here-are-16-of-the-most-egregious-injunctions-barring-the-trump-administration-from-doing-its-job\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuits and subsequent injunctions<\/a> designed to keep Trump from doing his job by curbing American subsidization of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/04\/sen-joni-ernst-usaid-wouldnt-tell-congress-how-it-spent-billions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">covert programs<\/a> like <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/07\/cynthia-lummis-slams-usaid-funding-for-sesame-street-program-in-iraq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Iraqi &ldquo;Sesame Street,&rdquo;<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/04\/11-insane-things-your-tax-dollars-paid-for-thanks-to-usaid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LGBT initiatives abroad, and even meals for terrorists. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, joined by Judge Gregory Katsas, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EWess92\/status\/1955655471555334311\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> that a band of USAID beneficiaries sued to stop the cessation of their federal funding and keep their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usaid-blew-thousands-on-ukrainian-pickle-maker-pet-accessories\/\" title=\"USAID Blew Thousands On Ukrainian &#039;Pickle Maker,&#039; Pet Accessories\">secret slush funds<\/a>. Yet she concluded the district court &ldquo;erred in granting that relief because the grantees lack a cause of action to press their claims.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They may not bring a freestanding constitutional claim if the underlying alleged violation and claimed authority are statutory,&rdquo; Henderson continued.<\/p>\n<p>She also affirmed that Trump&rsquo;s executive order was valid due to &ldquo;the President&rsquo;s authority under &lsquo;the Constitution <em>and the laws of the United States of America<\/em>.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Henderson additionally rejected the dissent&rsquo;s complaint that the Circuit Court&rsquo;s ruling will &ldquo;insulate large swaths of presidential action from judicial review.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We simply hold that such claims must meet the standards governing review of ultra vires claims, and cannot be recast as constitutional claims through the mere invocation of the separation of powers,&rdquo; she wrote in a footnote.<\/p>\n<p>The D.C. Circuit Court&rsquo;s ruling proves to be yet another big win for Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency, who have faced an uphill battle against <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/03\/05\/alito-scolds-scotus-for-letting-rogue-dc-judge-tell-the-federal-government-how-to-spend-its-money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rogue judges<\/a> telling the federal government how to use its money. The judicial coup against the Republican administration previously took a blow when Judge Carl Nichols declined to issue a preliminary injunction in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courthousenews.com\/federal-judge-clears-way-for-mass-dismissal-of-usaid-employees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">February<\/a>, allowing the Trump team&rsquo;s USAID employee termination plans to continue.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Jordan Boyd<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jordanboydtx\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@jordanboydtx<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/jordandavidson\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/d-c-circuit-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">D.C. Circuit Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/doge\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Doge<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gregory-katsas\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Gregory Katsas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/injunctions\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">injunctions<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/judicial-coup\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">judicial coup<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/karen-lecraft-henderson\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Karen LeCraft Henderson<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/presidential-power\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">presidential power<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/temporary-restraining-orders\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">temporary restraining orders<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/u-s-court-of-appeals-for-the-d-c-circuit\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/usaid\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">USAID<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image Credit USAID\/U.S. Agency for International Development\/Wikimedia Commons. President Trump had authority to end billions in USAID funding<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2474332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/USAID.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[61205,32546,3634,16381,46400],"class_list":["post-2474331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-d-c-circuit-court","tag-legal-decision","tag-trump","tag-usaid","tag-waste-reduction"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/USAID.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2474331"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2474339,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474331\/revisions\/2474339"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2474332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2474331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2474331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2474331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}