Trump administration’s memo to freeze federal funds has been revoked
The Trump administration has revoked a memo to freeze federal funds to all institutions critics call unconstitutional.
A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to suspend the federal funding program in response to lawsuits filed by Oregon, the District of Columbia and 21 other states.
“The court’s decision today amplifies what we’re saying. The president has no unilateral authority to simply ignore Congressional decisions or to dismantle important parts of the government,” said Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield. “We have already seen the chaos these cuts have caused in Oregon. Our schools, healthcare, public safety and infrastructure were all at risk under the president’s order to cut off this critical fund.”
Oregon and other states filed claims for enforcement on Feb. 7 and Feb. 28, saying they still have problems gaining federal funds after US District Judge Jon McConnell issued a temporary restraining order. The recent claim said funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are still blocked.
The interim injunction on Thursday said the Trump administration must notify agencies of the order by March 14th and submit documents indicating that funds from FEMA have not been frozen.
McConnell, the appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, said the Trump administration “put itself on Congress.”
On January 27, a memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget told federal agencies to “temporarily suspend all activities related to all federal financial assistance obligations or spending,” Reuters reported.
The purpose of the suspension was to allow agencies to “review their programs and determine the best use of funding for programs that align with law and presidential priorities.”
The memo was withdrawn shortly after it was issued.
The announcement of the suspension order in late January announced “chaos and uncertainty” and affected Oregon’s federal reimbursement portal for programs such as Medicaid and Head Start. Kotek urged Oregonians to continue using the service as normal.
“We’re totally confused by the Trump administration about what they’re doing and what that means for Americans around the country,” the governor said after the freeze was announced on Jan. 28.
USA Today and Reuters contributed to this report.
Anastasia Mason covers the state government of the Stateman Journal. Contact her at acmason@statesmanjournal.com or 971-208-5615.
