Attorney General James Defends Lifesaving Foreign Aid Programs

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general in challenging the Trump administration’s illegal attempts to halt billions of dollars of funding for foreign assistance programs at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department. In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in Global Health Council v. Trump, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the president does not have the power to unilaterally refuse to spend funds that were already appropriated by Congress. Allowing the president to override Congress’s power to control spending would be devastating for states like New York, which have already been cut off from hundreds of millions of dollars that support critical research, public health, and agricultural programs due to the administration’s cuts to foreign aid.

“Every year, our foreign aid programs bring together America’s small businesses, farmers, and top researchers to help save hundreds of thousands of lives across the globe,” said Attorney General James. “USAID has made our country and the world safer and more prosperous for decades, and this administration does not have the power to gut it on a whim. I am proud to join my fellow attorneys general in defending USAID and all those who work every day to support its lifesaving mission.”

For over 60 years, USAID has administered essential foreign aid across the globe, running programs to promote public health, disaster recovery, economic development, education, and democracy in over 100 countries. In February 2025, the Trump administration began suspending thousands of USAID grants, effectively halting nearly all of its programs and jeopardizing hundreds of thousands of lives in some of the most vulnerable countries on the planet. The billions of dollars suspended from USAID included funding for food aid for children struggling with malnutrition, shelter for thousands of families displaced by war, and public health programs that protect people from AIDS and malaria.

As Attorney General James and the coalition assert in the brief, USAID provides critical funding for research programs in states nationwide. Farmers, small businesses, and nonprofits, including those in New York, receive USAID funds to help support its aid programs. In addition, universities in New York receive USAID funds to conduct critical research on public health, vaccines, and agriculture to support humanitarian and foreign assistance across the globe. As Attorney General James and the coalition note, the administration’s cuts have halted more than $550 million in research grants and contracts in states.

Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the Constitution clearly grants Congress, not the president, the power to control federal spending. The administration does not have the authority to halt funding that Congress appropriated simply because the president disagrees with it. In addition, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that allowing the executive branch to withhold funding on a whim would cause chaos for states, which receive over $1 trillion in federal funds every year for Medicaid, infrastructure repairs, education, law enforcement, and other essential services.

Attorney General James and the coalition urge the court to uphold the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia’s preliminary injunction order halting the administration’s withholding of USAID funds.

Joining Attorney General James in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.