Coalition of 22 Attorneys General Hail Court Victories Stopping Fed. Funding Freeze
NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 22 attorneys general celebrated winning a court order halting the implementation of a Trump administration policy that would have blocked many federal agency grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs.
On Friday, Jan. 31, Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted a temporary restraining order blocking the administration’s funding freeze after Attorney General James and the coalition filed a lawsuit to stop the policy.
In a separate court proceeding, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan in Washington, who had ordered a short-term pause minutes before the Trump administration’s plan was set to go into effect last week, said Monday she’s inclined to grant a longer temporary order in the case brought by a coalition of not-for-profits, according to published reports.
The Trump administration argues a brief pause in funding to align federal spending with the president’s agenda is within the law, and the court lacks constitutional authority to block it. The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump’s plan to halt federal grants and loans originally targeted a wide range of funding totaling potentially trillions of dollars. While the memo outlining it has since been rescinded, the Republican administration has said some kind of funding freeze is still planned as part of his blitz of executive orders.
“The power of the purse belongs to Congress—not the President of the United States,” said Attorney General James. “Now, New Yorkers can rest assured that federal funds for critical services—meals for our seniors, health care, community public safety, disaster relief, and so much more—are currently not at risk. I will continue to fight in court to defend the essential programs and services New Yorkers need.”
The TRO won by the attorney general coalition prohibits federal agencies from taking any action that would “pause, freeze, block, cancel or terminate” the provision of federal funding, unless otherwise permitted by existing statute or the terms of the grant. In a notice sent to federal agencies and filed with the court this morning, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicated its intent to comply with the court order and affirmed that the TRO blocking the illegal freeze applied to all federal funding awards or obligations, including those made to recipients such as hospitals, non-profits, or other organizations. The TRO applied to both current and future grants of federal assistance, according to the Attorney General’s office.