WASHINGTON (TNND) — A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration can suspend or terminate billions of dollars of congressionally appropriated funding for foreign aid.

In a 2-1 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit panel found a lower court judge "erred in granting that relief because the grantees lack a cause of action to press their claims."

U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered the administration in March to release the full amount of foreign assistance that Congress had appropriated for the 2024 budget year.

At the beginning of his second term in January, President Donald Trump temporarily paused federal grants and loans for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals.

Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson and Gregory Katsas concluded that the plaintiffs did not have a valid legal basis for the court to hear their claims. The ruling was not on the merits of whether the government unconstitutionally infringed on Congress’ spending powers.

“The parties also dispute the scope of the district court’s remedy but we need not resolve it ... because the grantees have failed to satisfy the requirements for a preliminary injunction in any event,” Henderson wrote.

Judge Florence Pan, who dissented, said the Supreme Court has held “in no uncertain terms” that the president does not have the authority to disobey laws for policy reasons.

“Yet that is what the majority enables today,” Pan wrote. “The majority opinion thus misconstrues the separation-of-powers claim brought by the grantees, misapplies precedent, and allows Executive Branch officials to evade judicial review of constitutionally impermissible actions.”

The money that was put on the chopping block included nearly $4 billion for USAID to spend on global health programs and more than $6 billion for HIV and AIDS programs.

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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.