
President Trump speaks to the press from the Oval Workplace on Monday.
Jim Watson/AFP by way of Getty Photos
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Jim Watson/AFP by way of Getty Photos
A federal decide in Washington, D.C., has issued a brief restraining order towards a Trump administration effort to freeze funding for federal grants and different applications.
Monday’s order by U.S. Decide Loren AliKhan is available in response to a memo launched by the Workplace of Administration and Finances final week directing the funding pause. The memo spurred a authorized problem from a gaggle of nonprofits, prompting the decide to initially order a temporary stay. The White Home later mentioned the memo was rescinded however vowed to proceed its efforts to evaluation federal funding.
The non permanent restraining order expands the scope of the preliminary pause the court docket put in place final week, simply because the funding freeze was set to take impact.
In her newest order, AliKhan blocked the administration “from implementing, giving impact to, or reinstating underneath a distinct identify the directives” within the authentic OMB memo.
It additionally directs the OMB — which is a part of the chief department — to offer the court docket with a standing report on its compliance by Friday. The decide additionally famous that any open awards that had been beforehand frozen have to be launched.
In her determination, AliKhan faulted the administration for an effort to “run roughshod over a ‘bulwark of the Structure’ by interfering with Congress’s appropriation of federal funds.” The administration’s plan, she added, “tried to wrest the ability of the purse away from the one department of presidency entitled to wield it.”
The White Home didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the newest federal court docket order.
After rescinding the OMB memo final week, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt pressured the transfer wouldn’t deter the administration’s work.
“Within the coming weeks and months, extra govt motion will proceed to finish the egregious waste of federal funding,” she mentioned.
The authorized problem to the OMB memo was introduced by a coalition of non-profit organizations, together with the Nationwide Council of Nonprofits, Democracy Ahead, the American Public Well being Affiliation, Essential Avenue Alliance and SAGE. In an announcement Monday, the teams celebrated the choice and criticized the administration’s plans as “reckless.”
“Nonprofits throughout the nation have been left in limbo by the Trump administration’s callous actions. Now, they lastly have some wanted readability and might proceed to do their important work,” mentioned Diane Yentel of the Nationwide Council of Nonprofits.
The administration is going through extra authorized challenges introduced on by the OMB memo.
In a separate however associated case, a federal decide in Rhode Island on Friday issued a temporary restraining order towards the administration’s efforts to freeze funds in response to a problem introduced by Democratic attorneys normal in 22 states and the District of Columbia.
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