The Supreme Court’s March 5, 2025, order in Department of State v. AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, No. 24A831, recites the next district-court step. Quote, verified on the Court’s PDF: “On February 25, the District Court ordered the Government to issue payments for a portion of the paused disbursements—those owed for work already completed before the issuance of the District Court’s temporary restraining order—by 11:59 p.m. on February 26.”
Justice Alito’s dissent, joined by Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, describes that order as requiring the government “to pay out approximately $2 billion,” labeled as a non-appealable TRO, with a 36-hour clock. Those are his words in a published dissent. They are not a majority finding that the dollar figure is exact, and they are not a conviction.
The same Supreme Court order recites: “THE CHIEF JUSTICE entered an administrative stay shortly before the 11:59 p.m. deadline and subsequently referred the application to the Court.” An administrative stay is a short pause so the full Court can look. It is not a ruling on the merits.
H.Res. 174, introduced two days later, alleges that Ali “mandat[ed] the immediate outlay of funds.” That is the resolution’s allegation. The Supreme Court’s recital of a February 25 payment deadline is the primary description used here.