In the most recent development surrounding the expenditure of trillions of dollars on grants and loans, a second federal judge on Friday temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempts to block government financing.
Almost two dozen states, including Oregon, asked for an emergency order prohibiting most federal agencies from stopping funding, and Judge John McConnell concurred with them.
Minutes before it was scheduled to take effect, another judge in Washington put a stop to the plan earlier this week. However, her temporary order is only in effect until Monday unless she chooses to prolong it.
While the temporary restraining order is in effect, McConnell directed the federal government to refrain from pausing, freezing, obstructing, blocking, canceling, or terminating funds that has been promised to the states.
The scope and vagueness of the executive’s conduct make it hard for the court to do otherwise, therefore it must take action at these early stages of the dispute under the worst-case scenario, McConnell wrote.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by the White House.
Dan Rayfield, the attorney general of Oregon, hailed the decision Friday.
Rayfield said in a statement that the court’s decision is an important step in holding the administration responsible for its abuse of power and disdain for the law. The judge’s ruling guarantees Oregonians will continue to get several vital programs that impact diet, health, and public safety. We are ready to continue battling to ensure that Oregonians’ rights are not violated by illegal measures if the government continues to overreach.
The decision was praised by other attorney generals whose states were involved in the case. Attorney General Neronha of Rhode Island stated that he was grateful that McConnell recognized the irreversible harm that this edict would—and, to be honest, has already caused—to Americans nationwide.
Make no mistake, Neronha said in a statement, “this federal funding pause was implemented to inspire fear and chaos, and it was successful in that respect.” These strategies are meant to weaken us, but with every court ruling, we repeat that these major and illegal disruptions will not be allowed to continue and will undoubtedly be addressed with prompt and decisive action both now and in the future.
The federal government had resisted the order, claiming that the so-called wide relief was unfounded.
McConnell, a Rhode Island-based official appointed by former President Barack Obama, made the decision even though the Office of Management and Budget revoked a memo announcing a broad freeze on federal grants and loans.
McConnell discovered that his directive was still required even though the recession was merely a name.
In keeping with President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders, the White House press secretary has stated that a funding freeze is still in the works.
The Republican president wants to stop diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, increase the production of fossil fuels, and eliminate safeguards for transgender individuals.
States, educational institutions, and organizations that depend on Washington for trillions of dollars were alarmed by the letter, which was released earlier this week by the Office of Management and Budget.
The suspension, according to administration officials, was required to examine whether expenditure on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and climate change was in line with Trump’s executive directives. However, two days later, they rescinded the initial memo in a two-sentence notification.
Officials from the Trump administration stated a day later that the cuts would not impact programs that directly serve Americans, such as food stamps, student loans, Social Security, and Medicare. However, that didn’t really clear up the confusion.
By emphasizing to government agencies their responsibilities to follow Trump’s executive orders, administration officials maintained that their measures still had the desired impact in spite of the confusion. States requested the interim restraining order as a result.
Attorneys for Trump’s Justice Department contended in their request that the plaintiffs could not utilize an order that was initially directed against the Office of Management and Budget memo to seek broader action because the federal court lacked jurisdiction.
Additionally, they contended that, in accordance with the underlying statutory powers of each agency, Trump and the Office of Management and Budget clearly have the power to order agencies to fully carry out the President’s program.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate argued that the President has a well-established power to order subordinate agencies to carry out his agenda, subject to such agencies’ own legislative responsibilities.
It was hardly surprising that the states won the case.
McConnell had expressed sympathy for the states’ case over the possible impact from any federal funding suspension during a hearing on the states’ original directive on Wednesday.
