WASHINGTON, Aug 27, (Xinhua): The Trump administration on Tuesday asked the US Supreme Court to allow it to withhold billions of US dollars in foreign aid, challenging a federal court injunction that forces the government to continue payments. The US Justice Department filed an emergency appeal, noting that a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled to overturn the injunction earlier this month.

However, the injunction remains in effect, as the full federal appeals court declined to pause it last week. It ordered the Trump administration to pay nearly 2 billion dollars in outstanding aid to foreign aid contractors worldwide. In March, the Supreme Court declined to let the administration avoid making these payments.

The Trump administration is now pressing for a definitive ruling, arguing that without the justices' intervention, it would be forced to make payments, which would override executive foreign-policy decisions. US President Donald Trump imposed a 90-day pause on all foreign aid on Jan 20, and has since gradually weakened the U.S. Agency for International Development while exploring moving the agency under the State Department.