Alliance Alert: Today the Trump Administration initially rescinded Monday’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo on freezing federal funding but later clarified that this recission did not stop the freeze from moving forward. Despite this, the funding freeze is currently blocked by the courts, with a second judge signaling their intent to halt its implementation during a hearing on a lawsuit filed by multiple Democratic attorneys general. The legal battle continues as the administration pushes ahead with efforts to restrict federal funding. We will continue to update you as we get more information on the legal actions taking place. See below for more information
Another Judge is Preparing to Block Trump’s Spending Freeze, despite White House Cleanup
Politico | January 29, 2025
Executive orders remain — The White House’s rescission today of Monday’s OMB memo ordering the pause of federal assistance is not an end to the funding freeze, according to President Donald Trump’s chief spokesperson. Why rescind the memo? “To end any confusion” created by a federal judge’s temporary halting of the OMB directives, says White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
A federal judge said Wednesday he intends to issue a new block on President Donald Trump’s effort to freeze an enormous swath of federal spending, citing the White House’s contradictory signals about the policy.
U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell said a bid by the White House to rescind a “hugely ambiguous” order implementing the freeze appeared to be undercut by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s subsequent statement that the freeze was still in effect.
“I’m inclined to grant the restraining order,” McConnell, a Rhode Island-based appointee of President Barack Obama, said during a court hearing on a lawsuit brought Tuesday by Democratic attorneys general. “I fear … that the administration is acting with a distinction without a difference.”
A different federal judge has already put the spending freeze on hold. That judge, Loren AliKhan, issued an order Tuesday preserving the status quo for six days in response to a separate lawsuit from nonprofit groups challenging the freeze.