A federal judge on Thursday issued a nationwide injunction to extend a block preventing the Trump administration from freezing federal grants and loans without going through Congress.

U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island ruled the executive branch’s plan to unilaterally pause federal funding “undermines the distinct constitutional roles of each branch of our government,” the Associated Press noted.

“The Executive has not pointed to any constitutional or statutory authority that would allow them to impose this type of categorical freeze,” McConnell wrote, according to the outlet.

“The Court is not limiting the Executive’s discretion or micromanaging the administration of federal funds. Rather, consistent with the Constitution, statutes, and caselaw, the Court is simply holding that the Executive’s discretion to impose its own policy preferences on appropriated funds can be exercised only if it is authorized by the congressionally approved appropriations statutes,” he continued.

ABC News reports:

When President Donald Trump attempted to unilaterally freeze billions in federal funding to states, local governments, and nonprofits during his first week in office, the president unlawfully attempted to undermine the balance of power that has defined American governance, U.S. District Judge John McConnell said.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The interaction of the three co-equal branches of government is an intricate, delicate, and sophisticated balance—but it is crucial to our form of constitutional governance. Here, the Executive put itself above Congress,” he wrote

The order prohibits the Trump administration from “reissuing, adopting, implementing, giving effect to, or reinstating under a different name” a short-lived directive issued by the Office of Management and Budget that froze billions in funds.

From the Associated Press:

The states say a litany of programs are still waiting for federal funds or some clarity on whether the money is going to be delivered. McConnell also said the states had demonstrated standing in this case.

“The States have introduced dozens of uncontested declarations illustrating the effects of the indiscriminate and unpredictable freezing of federal funds, which implicate nearly all aspects of the States’ governmental operations and inhibit their ability to administer vital services to their residents,” he wrote. “These declarations reflect at least one particularized, concrete, and imminent harm that flows from the federal funding pause — a significant, indefinite loss of obligated federal funding.”

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.