Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze

U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan temporarily blocked a push from President Donald Trump to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives.

Trump’s efforts to pause federal funding caused panic and confusion among states, schools, and organizations that rely on trillions of dollars from Washington. AliKhan blocked the funding freeze only minutes before it was scheduled to take effect.

The White House did not immediately comment on the matter, leaving a potential constitutional clash over control of taxpayer money. Administration officials said the decision to halt loans and grants was necessary to ensure that spending complies with Trump’s recent slew of executive orders.

Additionally, Trump wants to increase fossil fuel production, remove protections for transgender people, and end diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Democrats argued that the Republican president has no right to stop spending money appropriated by Congress unilaterally.

Just minutes after AliKhan made her ruling, Democratic Attorney Generals from 22 states and the District of Columbia filed their own lawsuit seeking to block and permanently prevent the administration from cutting off federal funding.

“There is no question this policy is reckless, dangerous, illegal, and unconstitutional,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

AliKhan, who now-former president Joe Biden appointed, questioned how much the details of the funding freeze had been mailed down as she issued her order.

“It seems like the federal government currently doesn’t actually know the full extent of the programs that are going to be subject to the pause,” she said.

Justice Department attorney Daniel Schwei argued that the freeze shouldn’t be put on hold because the plaintiffs hadn’t specified anyone who would immediately lose funding as a result of the funding cutoff to go into effect.

Meanwhile, Trump administration officials said programs that provide direct assistance to Americans would not be affected, such as Medicare, Social Security, student loans, and food stamps. But they sometimes struggled to provide a clear picture of this promise.

“Trump’s actions would wreak havoc in red and blue communities everywhere,” Sen. Patty Murray of Washington said. “We are talking about our small towns, our cities, our school districts.”

The administration’s review was dissected in a 51-page spreadsheet sent to federal agencies and viewed by The Associated Press. Each line was a different government initiative, from pool safety to tribal workforce development to special education.

Trillions of dollars are potentially under review. Grants that have been awarded but not spent are also supposed to be halted if they violate one of Trump’s executive orders.

“We have confirmed no payments have been affected — they are still being processed and sent,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media.

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