A Monday memo from the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said Pres. Donald Trump was putting a pause on domestic and foreign federal aid. The pause was meant to provide time to examine aid programs for elements that run counter to Trump’s policies.
The memo said,“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve.”
The type of aid that would be impacted was unclear, though the memo said that “assistance provided directly to individuals” – such as Social Security and Medicare — would be safe. The uncertainty about what would be at risk raised concern for several programs like the Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance and the National Head Start Association, causing groups to scramble.
Just minutes before the freeze would have taken place on Tuesday, D.C Federal Judge Loren AliKhan temporarily blocked it. The block will pause the plan for a week, and further investigation will determine if the judge issues a restraining order, which would block the freeze for another two weeks.
If the freeze had gone through as originally planned, a disastrous number of people would have been affected, targeting low-income individuals. The lack of clarity in the original OMB memo suggested that programs such as Meals on Wheels, which provides food for senior citizens, might have been included in the freeze.
Officials at the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) also had concerns.
“The longer the freeze continues, the greater the risk that low-income households receiving federal rental assistance could face eviction, and in the worst cases, homelessness — homeless shelters may be forced to close their doors, and nonprofit organizations may have to lay off staff,” NLIHC Interim President and CEO Renee Willis said in a statement.
It was also confirmed that Medicaid would not be in danger of the freeze, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was unsure about that during a Tuesday press briefing. Several U.S. senators and representatives posted on X about problems with opening Medicaid portals.
The White House insisted the issue with the Medicaid portals was an outage and according to Leavitt, “no payments have been affected.”
For a coincidence, the “outage” occurred at a rather interesting time. Imagine the number of patients who would have been at risk if payments weren’t able to be processed. Officials in the District of Columbia and 22 Democratic states – including Connecticut — have sued Trump over the freeze.
On Wednesday, Jan. 26, Trump’s administration announced it was withdrawing the memo. However, this did not ease the concerns of people who opposed the freeze.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement, “Though the Trump Administration failed in this tactic, it’s no secret that they will try to find another, and when they do, it will again be Senate Democrats there to call it out, fight back, and defend American families.”
This does not mean that the plan for a temporary pause on federal loans and grants is over. Leavitt posted on X, “This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction. The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said, “I’m hoping the courts will stop him.” He also mentioned the president’s overreach by trying to implement a freeze. “The Constitution clearly gives the power of the purse to Congress. He’s seizing it like an autocrat.”
While the judge’s action may look like a short-term win for programs that receive federal aid, the Trump administration is not giving up on their plan to rid America of funding “wokeism.” The president’s rapid signing of executive orders does not seem to be slowing, and the general public cannot ignore it.
No one knows what the Trump administration will do next, and it’s important to stay alert on the matters that are unfolding. It is unknown what could be next on the chopping block.