ISTANBUL

The Trump administration asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to allow it to freeze billions of dollars in foreign aid, according to The Washington Post.

The emergency filing comes after a federal appeals court refused on Friday to overturn a lower court decision that barred the move. The court ordered the administration to begin rapidly spending funds on approved projects.

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued its decision after a lower court ruled the administration must move forward to spend $11 billion on foreign aid before Congress' spending authority expires in September.

The case involves an injunction requiring the administration to spend money for food, medicine, and development aid before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30.

US President Donald Trump has implemented a sweeping freeze on US foreign aid since beginning his second term in January, citing concerns that America sends billions to countries that "hate us" and claiming aid programs contain waste and fraud.

The freeze affects billions of dollars annually in global health and development assistance. The administration has also moved to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), announcing in July that the agency's remaining programs would transfer to the State Department.