Judge pauses Trump funding freeze order until Feb. 3

[TheProle]

A federal judge on Tuesday paused until next week the implementation of a Trump administration order that would have frozen the issuance of federal grants and loans.

Judge Loren AliKhan’s ruling during a hearing conducted on Zoom came just minutes before the freezing order was set to take effect at 5 p.m. ET.

AliKhan said her administrative stay of the order would expire at 5 p.m. on Monday unless she decides to grant a temporary restraining order as requested by plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the Trump administration’s action.

The judge scheduled a hearing for Monday morning for arguments on the requested TRO in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/28/trump-medicaid-funding-freeze-paused.html

[stillcool]

1. thanks

looks like I have to start a save file.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. MaddowBlog-Democratic AGs sue Trump admin over federal grants freeze amid widespread confusion

The question was when, not whether, Trump’s funding freeze would face a legal challenge. A group of Democratic state attorneys general answered soon after.
https://bsky.app/profile/tmfab.bsky.social/post/3lgtnugwvs22l

Link to tweet

The question was when, not whether, Trump’s new policy would face a legal challenge. The public did not have to wait too long for an answer.

In a morning news conference, Schumer told reporters that New York Attorney General Letitia James was “going to court” to contest the White House’s “illegal” move. The senator knew of what he spoke: The state’s Democratic attorney general has, in fact, already filed suit taking aim at the president’s legally dubious spending freeze.

She’s partnering in this case with Democratic attorneys general from 21 other states and the District of Columbia: Rob Bonta of California, Kwame Raoul of Illinois, Andrea Campbell of Massachusetts, Matt Platkin of New Jersey, Peter Neronha of Rhode Island, Kris Mayes of Arizona, Phil Weiser of Colorado, William Tong of Connecticut, Kathy Jennings of Delaware, Brian Schwalb of Washington, D.C., Anne Lopez of Hawaii, Aaron Frey of Maine, Anthony G. Brown of Maryland, Dana Nessel of Michigan, General Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Aaron Ford of Nevada, Jeff Jackson of North Carolina, Raúl Torrez of New Mexico, Dan Rayfield of Oregon, Charity Clark of Vermont, Nicholas W. Brown of Washington and Josh Kaul of Wisconsin.

This lawsuit is separate from a related case filed by a coalition of nonprofits and public health advocates, who collectively asked a federal judge for an emergency order to block the White House’s policy. That judge issued an administrative stay on Tuesday afternoon that pushed the start date of the federal funding freeze to Monday at 5 p.m. ET while litigation plays out......

And while that might’ve sounded reassuring, NBC News also reported on some of the preliminary consequences of Team Trump’s gambit.

Nonprofit organizations reached by NBC News said some of their funding appeared to have already been cut off, and they were scrambling to figure out what the implications could be for their programs, like those providing health care, housing and early childhood education.

There are related reports about state-based Medicaid portals’ shutting down as a result of the White House’s move, though administration officials are apparently working to address this.

As for the likely fate of the new cases, NBC News published a separate report noting that the issue could make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court quickly.

Although the court has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three Trump appointees, legal experts say this could be one of several uphill legal battles the administration has picked. There are also Supreme Court precedents that have acknowledged restrictions on presidential power when it comes to how money is spent. In 1974, around the time the Impoundment Control Act was enacted, the court ruled against the Nixon administration in an attempt to withhold funding aimed at reducing water pollution.

Watch this space.