By Associated Press’s Chris Merkel
Washington President Donald Trump’s attempt to halt federal funding while his administration undertakes a comprehensive ideological review to dismantle leftist policies was temporarily stopped by a federal judge on Tuesday.
A constitutional conflict over control of taxpayer funds was sparked by the Trump administration’s plan, which sent the American government into a state of panic and bewilderment.
Minutes before the funding freeze was set to take effect, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan issued the ruling. Only currently running programs are subject to the administrative stay, which ends on Monday afternoon.
To make sure that spending complies with Trump’s recent flurry of executive orders, administration officials said the decision to stop loans and grants—a financial lifeline for local governments, schools, and nonprofit organizations nationwide—was required.The Republican president wants to stop diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, increase the production of fossil fuels, and eliminate safeguards for transgender individuals.
The Office of Management and Budget’s ambiguous memo and the White House’s partial responses throughout the day, however, left lawmakers, public officials, and regular citizens unable to determine which programs would be impacted by the suspension. Layoffs or delays in public services could result from even brief financial disruptions.
According to David Smith, a spokesman for the Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas, one of the innumerable districts that receive federal funds, this kind of came out of the blue. They are currently attempting to deduce its meaning from no information.
In suspending the freeze, AliKhan, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, stated that it appears the federal government is now unaware of the entire scope of the programs that will be affected by the suspension.
Tens of thousands of members nationwide may be impacted, according to Jessica Morton, an attorney with the National Council of Nonprofits, the organization that filed the lawsuit.
According to Morton, “our client members have expressed great concern about having to shutter if there is even a brief pause.”
According to Daniel Schwei, an attorney with the Justice Department, the plaintiffs had not named a single individual who would immediately lose funds in the event that the pause took effect.
Programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, student loans, and food stamps that directly help Americans would not be impacted, according to Trump administration officials. Additionally, they defended the funding freeze, claiming that Trump was fulfilling his pledge to completely transform Washington if he were elected to a second term.
But even outside of the country’s capital, the impacts were being felt. Meals on Wheels, a federally funded organization that provides food to the elderly, was concerned about being disconnected.
Chaos is being caused by the current lack of clarity and uncertainty, according to spokeswoman Jenny Young. Seniors may become anxious if they don’t know where they’ll get their next meals, she added.
This week’s grant application review panels were postponed by the National Science Foundation. Prichard, Alabama, officials were afraid they wouldn’t get the infrastructure money they needed to repair their drinking water system that was leaking. Republican leaders in Louisiana stated that they were looking for clarification to make sure nothing was endangering the state’s financial viability.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the leading Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, stated that Trump’s actions would cause chaos in both red and blue towns across the globe. We are discussing our cities, our school systems, and our little villages.
A 51-page spreadsheet that was emailed to federal agencies and seen by The Associated Press detailed the entire extent of the administration’s assessment. Every line represented a distinct government program, ranging from special education to workforce development for Tribes to pool safety.
For each item on the list, including whether this program promotes gender ideology, officials were instructed to respond with a series of yes/no questions. Or does this program in any way encourage or endorse abortion? By February 7th, responses are required.
Potentially, trillions of dollars are being examined. Additionally, grants that have been given but not yet spent are meant to be stopped if they could contravene one of Trump’s executive orders.
In a memo released Monday, Matthew Vaeth, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, stated that using Federal funds to promote Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars and does not enhance the daily lives of people we serve.
In order to identify programs, projects, and activities that might be involved by any of the President’s executive orders, Vaeth noted that each agency must finish a thorough study of all of their Federal financial assistance programs. Additionally, he added that the delay should be put into effect to the degree that the relevant laws permit.
One day after agencies were notified of the decision, the grant and loan halt was set to begin at 5 p.m. ET.
Democrats characterized the Trump administration’s choice as unlawful and arbitrary. They maintained that the president lacked the authority to unilaterally cease using funds that Congress had appropriated.
Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, intended to request that a federal judge in Manhattan halt the funding hold.
She asserted that this policy is unquestionably harmful, reckless, unlawful, and unconstitutional.
In a separate case, a group of nonprofit organizations claimed that the funding freeze had no legal justification or even the most basic explanation.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was in charge of the matter. She claimed that by ensuring that funding for wokeness and transgenderism was discontinued, the administration was attempting to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
She refuted the claim that Trump was purposefully trying to subvert Congress in order to assert his control over the federal budget.
According to her, he is merely attempting to make sure that the tax dollars leaving this insolvent city truly reflect the priorities and wishes of the American people.
In order to bring federal expenditure and action into line with the priorities set forth by President Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency affirmed that it will carry out the pause. Additionally, the Department of Energy announced that it was reviewing its expenditures.
The funding freeze is only the most recent instance of Trump using his influence over the federal government to further his conservative agenda. This time, Trump is delving deeply into the bureaucracy, unlike during his first term when he and many of his inner circle were unfamiliar with Washington.
For instance, if government employees attempt to continue diversity, equity, and inclusion activities, they are required to report their colleagues.
According to Paul Light, a federal government expert and professor emeritus of public service at New York University, they are advancing the president’s agenda from the bottom up.
He said that Trump’s strategy has risks, particularly given how dependent so many voters are on Washington.
Light remarked, “You can’t just hassle, hassle, hassle.” It’s your responsibility.
As states reported issues with the Medicaid financing system, where authorities request reimbursement for providing healthcare to impoverished populations, concerns about disruptions in government services were intensified.
Democrats linked the funding suspension to their criticism of the Trump administration.
However, Leavitt promised that the portal would soon be operational again.
She wrote on social media, “We have verified that no payments have been impacted; they are still being processed and sent.”
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This report was written by JoNel Aleccia, Lindsay Whitehurst, Matthew Daly, Lisa Mascaro, Adithi Ramakrishnan, Amanda Seitz, Michael Sisak, Tammy Weber, Moriah Balingit, and Collin Binkley for the Associated Press.
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