Court Halts Trump's Budget Cuts
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan has temporarily halted the Trump administration from carrying out the initiative.
TroibNews 
A federal judge has put a stop to President Donald Trump’s suspension of federal aid programs, stating that the courts need more time to assess the potential wide-ranging effects of his order.
Just minutes before the directive from Trump’s budget office was set to take effect on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan intervened, blocking the administration from moving forward with it for the time being.
AliKhan’s order will remain in effect until February 3 at 5 p.m., during which time the Trump administration is prohibited from halting the distribution of any congressionally appropriated funds. The judge characterized the action as a “brief administrative stay” designed to preserve the current situation while further legal discussions take place.
“I think there is the specter of irreparable harm,” stated AliKhan, who was appointed by President Joe Biden.
This ruling marks a victory for nonprofit and public health organizations, which argued that even a short implementation of Trump’s freeze could lead to severe consequences for those dependent on federal funding for their services, including the workers who provide them. The nonprofits contended that the Office of Management and Budget's directive infringes upon First Amendment rights by aiming to terminate funding for groups involved in “DEI programs” or that advocate for “Gender Ideology Extremism,” concepts criticized in Trump’s earlier executive orders.
“They are going to lose funding in 10 minutes because they support transgender equality instead of supporting something that the administration finds more palatable,” remarked Jessica Morton, an attorney for the National Council of Nonprofits and other organizations.
During a brief videoconference hearing, Justice Department attorney Daniel Schwei argued that the groups had not demonstrated a necessity for an immediate suspension of the order issued by Trump’s budget office. He suggested that further guidance from the Trump administration should ease concerns regarding the OMB directive cutting off vital funding.
“They request sweeping relief … not tethered to any identified grant programs,” Schwei asserted. “It would be appropriate to allow these issues to be addressed on a more orderly timeframe … I think it would be preemptive for the court to order relief just based on the suspicion that there might be some harm at some point.”
Earlier that day, a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general also revealed plans to initiate a lawsuit challenging the funding freeze.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
Just minutes before the directive from Trump’s budget office was set to take effect on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan intervened, blocking the administration from moving forward with it for the time being.
AliKhan’s order will remain in effect until February 3 at 5 p.m., during which time the Trump administration is prohibited from halting the distribution of any congressionally appropriated funds. The judge characterized the action as a “brief administrative stay” designed to preserve the current situation while further legal discussions take place.
“I think there is the specter of irreparable harm,” stated AliKhan, who was appointed by President Joe Biden.
This ruling marks a victory for nonprofit and public health organizations, which argued that even a short implementation of Trump’s freeze could lead to severe consequences for those dependent on federal funding for their services, including the workers who provide them. The nonprofits contended that the Office of Management and Budget's directive infringes upon First Amendment rights by aiming to terminate funding for groups involved in “DEI programs” or that advocate for “Gender Ideology Extremism,” concepts criticized in Trump’s earlier executive orders.
“They are going to lose funding in 10 minutes because they support transgender equality instead of supporting something that the administration finds more palatable,” remarked Jessica Morton, an attorney for the National Council of Nonprofits and other organizations.
During a brief videoconference hearing, Justice Department attorney Daniel Schwei argued that the groups had not demonstrated a necessity for an immediate suspension of the order issued by Trump’s budget office. He suggested that further guidance from the Trump administration should ease concerns regarding the OMB directive cutting off vital funding.
“They request sweeping relief … not tethered to any identified grant programs,” Schwei asserted. “It would be appropriate to allow these issues to be addressed on a more orderly timeframe … I think it would be preemptive for the court to order relief just based on the suspicion that there might be some harm at some point.”
Earlier that day, a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general also revealed plans to initiate a lawsuit challenging the funding freeze.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
