Trump froze federal spending. Confusion and disarray followed.
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What caused the funding freeze by Trump?
But first, President Trump's order to freeze trillions of dollars in federal spending caused widespread confusion on Tuesday. The administration says it's vetting all spending and has promised to cut off money to programs, grants, loans, and anything else that doesn't align with the administration's agenda, in particular what they call woke ideology.
How did the federal spending freeze create confusion?
Trump's order, however, was quickly blocked by a judge, putting it on hold at least temporarily until February 3rd. Twenty-two state attorneys general are also suing the administration over the order, saying Trump can't halt approved spending without an act of Congress.
What are the implications of Trump's order on essential services?
It wasn't immediately clear what Trump intended to happen when he ordered the freeze of federal grants and loans, but within hours, thousands of government programs seemed at risk of being cut. These are programs that have to do with everything from access to meals for low-income families to child care and health care. For hours, all 50 states said they couldn't access Medicaid's funding portal. The White House later clarified many of those programs are not at risk and never should have been impacted. Here's White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
What legal challenges are arising from the spending freeze?
Social security benefits, Medicare benefits, food stamps, welfare benefits, assistance that is going directly to individuals will not be impacted by this pause.
Despite the temporary halt on Trump's order, there were reports of nonprofits still having trouble accessing funds through federal websites. Yolanda Fields, who runs a group called Breakthrough, which provides education and housing services, told the Chicago CBS affiliate she doesn't know what would happen if they lost the $2 million in funding that they received from the federal government.
We aren't talking about frivolous spending. We're talking about essential services that people need to live.
And in Knoxville, Tennessee, Caitlin McGuire with the Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless says the uncertainty of it all is what has people on edge.
That unknown is so scary for so many people because there are countless individuals who depend on the services that organizations like ours are providing in this region across the state and across the nation.
The big question here is whether the executive branch can make these cuts without Congress. Here's Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and what role could he play?
Congress is given the power to appropriate the funding. The executive branch cannot unilaterally disregard those appropriations passed by a separate and equal House of Government.
Speaking on MSNBC, former Republican Congress member from Florida, David Jolly, who served on the House Appropriations Committee, said he thinks Trump's justification for doing it this way won't hold water in court.
What he has done is illegal. His justification for it is what makes it illegal. So what he said is, I'm not going to spend the money because I don't like these policies that are currently in place. And much like the Muslim ban, it showed the incompetency of an administration that doesn't know the law or is willing to violate the Constitution. And it revealed the cruelty of stopping Medicaid payments and child care payments and all of these other issues.
The term being used to describe what the Trump administration is doing here is impoundment. That basically means that Congress has written the check for all these programs and the president is now refusing to put it in the mail. In 1974, Congress passed a law limiting the president's ability to claw back funding like this, citing the way Richard Nixon had abused the practice. But some Trump allies say that law is unconstitutional and should be struck down, which means this could all be headed for the Supreme Court, with a potential showdown over who really holds the purse strings in Washington. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 's confirmation hearing to become the next head of the Department of Health and Human Services starts today.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What caused the funding freeze by Trump?
0:34–0:54
2
How did the federal spending freeze create confusion?
0:54–1:10
3
What are the implications of Trump's order on essential services?
1:10–1:43
4
What legal challenges are arising from the spending freeze?
1:43–2:56
5
Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and what role could he play?
2:56–5:35
6
How has public trust in health agencies been affected post-pandemic?
5:35
7
What are the concerns surrounding vaccine confidence?
5:15–13:55
Speakers
5 identifiedMore from Apple News Today
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