The judge faulted the logic of a blanket freeze on foreign aid spending and found that groups that depend on the aid had made a strong initial showing of “irreparable harm.”

ANDREW NATSIOS served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development during the George W. Bush administration. He is a Professor at the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University and Director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs.

The order allowing funds to flow again applies to existing contracts before Trump issued his Executive Order declaring a freeze on foreign assistance.