{"id":2397652,"date":"2025-01-31T17:16:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T22:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-halts-trump-federal-aid-freeze-at-request-of-22-states-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-31T17:17:52","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T22:17:52","slug":"judge-halts-trump-federal-aid-freeze-at-request-of-22-states-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-halts-trump-federal-aid-freeze-at-request-of-22-states-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge halts Trump federal aid freeze at request of 22 states &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-halts-trump-federal-aid-freeze-at-request-of-22-states-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2397652&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A federal judge has temporarily blocked the \u200dTrump administration&#8217;s freeze on federal aid following a lawsuit \u2062from\u200c 22 Democratic-led states,\u2064 which argued \u2064that the freeze was causing important harm.U.S.District Judge John \u2063McConnell\u2063 issued a restraining\u2062 order against the aid freeze, despite the Justice Department&#8217;s claim that the case was moot after \u200cthe Office of Management and Budget rescinded its memo about the \u200cfreeze. \u2063The judge stated that the policy indicating a funding\u2064 pause remained in \u2063effect. The ruling is\u2063 a legal setback for President\u200c Trump and \u2064is\u2062 part of ongoing litigation \u2063regarding the administration&#8217;s executive actions.The Justice Department is expected \u200cto appeal the decision, indicating that the\u2062 judiciary may play a crucial role in overseeing presidential authority in \u2062future cases.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Judge halts Trump federal aid freeze at request of 22 states<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1966541\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Trump administration<\/a>&rsquo;s freeze on federal aid, siding with 22 Democratic-led states that argued the policy was causing harm despite the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">White House<\/a>&rsquo;s efforts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3304402\/trump-administration-backs-down-on-federal-aid-freeze\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">walk back an earlier directive<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">temporary restraining order preventing<\/a> the administration from enforcing its halt on aid disbursements, rejecting the Justice Department&rsquo;s argument that the case was moot after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded a memo outlining the freeze. The order will remain in place until further order of the court while the judge considers whether to issue a longer preliminary injunction.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling marks a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-suffers-big-legal-blow-as-his-top-lawyer-asks-to-depart-from-case\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden&#039;s lead lawyer seeks to withdraw from his case, dealing a significant legal setback.\">significant legal setback<\/a> for President Donald Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-leaked-dhs-document-reveals-bidens-mass-migration-plan-offers-broadscale-release-mechanisms\/\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: Leaked DHS Document Reveals Biden\u2019s Mass-Migration Plan Offers \u2018Broadscale Release Mechanisms\u2019\">early executive actions<\/a> and is the second court order this week to limit his administration&rsquo;s ability to freeze federal funds. <\/p>\n<p>A separate judge in Washington, D.C., had already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3303528\/federal-judge-temporarily-halts-trump-federal-aid-freeze\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">temporarily<\/a> halted the policy in response to a lawsuit from private organizations, and the Trump administration has asked to dismiss that complaint.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rescinded Memo Fails to Sway Court<\/h2>\n<p>The dispute arose after the White House abruptly announced earlier this week that federal aid disbursements would be frozen pending an internal review. <\/p>\n<p>The move prompted swift litigation from a <a href=\"https:\/\/riag.ri.gov\/press-releases\/attorney-general-neronha-co-leads-22-states-and-district-columbia-suing-stop-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">coalition of 22 states<\/a> and Washington, D.C., which argued the administration had acted unlawfully and disrupted critical funding streams.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, the OMB withdrew its memo announcing the freeze, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified in a post on X that the administration was rescinding &ldquo;only the memo itself, not the funding pause.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>McConnell took note of that distinction in his ruling, writing that the administration&rsquo;s position amounted to &ldquo;a distinction without a difference.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The policy has not changed,&rdquo; said Sarah Rice, an attorney for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Rhode-Island\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Rhode Island<\/a>, during a court hearing Wednesday. &ldquo;And that policy, to sum it up, is: &lsquo;Freeze first, ask questions later.&rsquo; That&rsquo;s the gravamen of our complaint; that is the source of our harm.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department had argued that without the OMB memo, the states&rsquo; motion was no longer a live controversy. Government attorney Daniel Schwei told the court that the states would need to file new legal challenges if they wished to contest the broader effects of Trump&rsquo;s executive actions.<\/p>\n<p>A 1974 law called the Impoundment Control Act created procedures designed to restrict a president from not spending money appropriated by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Congress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Congress<\/a>. Trump, however, has said he believes the president has the power to withhold money if he does not agree.<\/p>\n<p>But McConnell was convinced by the states&rsquo; argument that the White House was still moving forward with its policy despite formally discarding the directive.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Immediate Implications and Next Steps<\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The temporary restraining order blocks the administration from enforcing the freeze while litigation continues. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Justice-Department\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Justice Department<\/a> is expected to appeal the ruling, setting up an early test of the judiciary&rsquo;s willingness to rein in Trump&rsquo;s executive orders.<\/p>\n<p>The case is one of around 20 legal challenges to Trump&rsquo;s use of executive authority since his return to office and could set the stage for broader court battles over his policy agenda.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1966541\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1966541\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge blocks Trump\u2019s federal aid freeze requested by 22 states<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2397653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/trump-deregulation.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[42552,5387,3634],"class_list":["post-2397652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-federal-aid","tag-judge","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/trump-deregulation.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2397652"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2397656,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397652\/revisions\/2397656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2397653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2397652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2397652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2397652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}