A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump‘s sweeping freeze on federal funding, mere moments before it was set to take effect on Tuesday.
US District Judge Loren AliKhan issued the dramatic ruling which halted the administration’s planned pause on federal grants, loans and other financial assistance programmes.
She said that the ruling was intended to “maintain the status quo”.
The White House had spent most of Tuesday attempting to clarify its spending freeze amid widespread confusion over which programmes would be impacted.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s sweeping freeze on federal funding
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The budget office had issued a sweeping order to halt taxpayer money being distributed across multiple sectors.
The freeze would have affected initiatives in education, health care, housing assistance and disaster relief, amongst other areas.
The administration’s move had sent shockwaves through Washington, with the potential impact reaching into trillions in funding.
The White House memo specifically noted that the pause was not intended to affect “assistance provided directly to individuals,” such as Medicare or Social Security.
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The White House had spent most of Tuesday attempting to clarify its spending freeze
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The Trump administration argued the funding should be put on hold while officials conducted reviews to ensure no publicly funded programmes were ‘woke’.
The freeze was linked to executive orders signed last week that abolished the Washington’s DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) agenda.
The administration said the pause reflected the President’s vision for how services should be provided, targeting programmes he views as politically charged.
The move faced immediate backlash as uncertainty grew over how the spending freeze would affect crucial government programmes.
Questions arose about the impact on Medicaid, SNAP food assistance and other government support schemes.
The administration said the pause reflected the President’s vision for how government services should be provided
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There was also confusion regarding funding for local law enforcement and infrastructure projects.
The White House spent much of Tuesday attempting to provide clarity on which programmes would fall under the freeze’s scope.
Judge Ali Khan’s ruling established a one-week administrative stay to allow the courts more time to review the case.
The temporary block will give the court additional time to hear arguments and review legal briefs regarding the administration’s planned funding freeze.
The ruling represents a significant pause in the implementation of one of the administration’s most sweeping financial initiatives.