The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to allow it to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid funding frozen, a lawyer for the plaintiffs confirmed to Axios.

The big picture: The emergency filing follows a federal judge's recent order that the administration release the billions approved by Congress. • The plaintiffs, which include health and AIDS advocacy groups, submitted an opposition to the administration's request, the lawyer told Axios.

Driving the news: The government had planned to spend $6.5 billion of the $10.5 billion in question, the Trump administration said. • Allocating the remaining $4 billion would be "self-defeating and senseless," the filing stated.

Zoom in: The Trump administration is looking to freeze the funding via a "pocket rescission," wh

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