Trump asks Supreme Court to allow $4 billion in foreign aid cuts

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the government to withhold $4 billion of spending on foreign aid that was approved by Congress.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to allow the government to withhold $4 billion of spending on foreign aid that was approved by Congress.

The move came in response to a federal judge's ruling last week that requires the administration to spend the funds despite President Donald Trump notifying Congress that he intends not to.

The case marks a showdown over to what extent the president can refuse to spend money that Congress has appropriated, a brewing issue as Trump has embraced a sweeping view of presidential power since taking office again in January.

In the new filing, Solicitor General D. John Sauer described the case as raising “a grave and urgent threat” to the power of the presidency.

Under the Constitution, it is the job of Congress to allocate funds that the president can spend.