Judge extends block on Trump’s federal assistance freeze indefinitely
Washington – A federal judge in Rhode Island has banned the Trump administration from freezing federal aid, expanding He put it in place A few weeks ago, as the case progressed, a group of cases filed by 23 states and the District of Columbia.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued a preliminary injunction Thursday that prohibits agencies from granting states through grants, contracts or other financial aid through memorandums based on the Office of Administration and Budget, and issuing budgets during President Trump’s first day in office.
McConnell is nominated by former President Barack Obama, McConnell Write. “The interaction of the three equal branches of government is a complex, delicate and complex balance – but this is crucial to our form of constitutional governance. Here, executives put themselves above Congress.”
The judge said the OMB order to freeze federal funds throughout the administration was “a power without considering Congress’ control over spending” and found that the Trump administration failed to point out any statutory or constitutional powers to impose a government-wide moratorium.
“The court does not limit the discretion of executives or micro-management of federal funds,” McConnell wrote. “In contrast, consistent with the Constitution, regulations and Kaseraf, the court simply ruled that the executive powers impose their own policy preferences discretion only if authorized by the grant regulations approved by Congress.”
He said the freeze affected a range of programs, including head start and other parenting programs, as well as law enforcement and public safety agencies that rely on federal government.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, part of the National League for questioning the freeze, cheering for the freeze and reiterating that the power of the wallet depends on Congress.
“Illegal funds from the Trump administration freeze jeopardize law enforcement funds, essential health care and parenting services, and other key programs that millions of Americans rely on,” James said in a statement.
McConnell has Issue temporary commands At the end of January, OMB ordered OMB to keep federal aid flowing. His decision and February orders found the Trump administration Unable to comply With this instruction, he was the target of Mr. Trump’s supporters. He was one of several federal judges who ruled the Trump administration in the early days of the case and faced threats from impeachment by Republicans in Congress.
Before McConnell was filed by the State and the District of Columbia Release in late January This requires federal agencies to temporarily suspend grants, loans and other federal aid programs that are related to Mr. Trump’s executive order.
The memorandum targets approximately $3 trillion in federal aid programs.
Shortly after the release, OMB Go back memo In the midst of widespread chaos and chaos, which funds are at risk, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said only the memorandum was cancelled and the freeze itself would remain in effect.
States challenged the challenge of OMB funding freeze in late January and believed that the directive violated federal law and separation of powers.
McConnell said in his decision that the OMB paused for federal aid, “indiscriminate and unpredictable,” he said, suggesting that the pause in the challenge stemmed from the decisions of independent agencies, rather than the OMB directive, which was “unclear.”
“Overall, the OMB Directive constitutes command, rather than recommendations, that the agency defendants should perform an absolute indefinite funding freeze to align the funding decision with the President’s priorities,” the judge wrote.
He also noted that there was no evidence that Mr. Trump followed federal law and listed procedures for Congress to save or cut currencies. Water storage control method. The law requires the president to send a special message to Congress detailing the request to withdraw or withhold funds, which McConnell said Mr. Trump did not do.
McConnell wrote that the Trump administration “suddenly freezes” billions of dollars in federal funds indefinitely.
“It is difficult to understand when these funds suspend the ability to jeopardize states to provide important services, including but not limited to public safety, health care, education, parenting and transportation infrastructure, not to mention taking into account actual consequences, let alone taking into account actual consequences,” he said.
The federal district court on the East Coast faces similar challenges. A judge in Washington, D.C. also banned the Trump administration from suspending federal aid.
Since Mr. Trump returned to office, the OMB’s funding freeze has been one of a series of actions in his plan to narrow the federal government and spending. He created the White House’s government efficiency division (or practices) to lead the effort. Mr. Trump has said that Duge was led by Elon Musk, despite the White House claiming that its acting executive was Amy Gleason, who worked for Doge’s predecessor entity.
