Politics
A federal judge temporarily blocked the freeze, which the White House says doesn’t affect individuals, but federal payment portals are glitching.
A federal judge ordered a temporary halt on President Donald Trump’s federal aid spending freeze amid panic and confusion about the freeze itself, what it would affect, and why some federal aid sites like Medicaid appeared to be shut down Tuesday evening.
While welfare programs that aid individuals like Social Security should remain unaffected, the freeze could disrupt trillions of dollars in health care research, education programs and other initiatives, including grants. US District Judge Loren AliKhan blocked the order until next week just minutes before it was set to go into effect Tuesday evening, the Associated Press reported.
Before AliKhan paused the spending freeze through Monday, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, along with nearly two dozen other state AGs, sued the Trump administration in federal court in Rhode Island.
AliKhan’s temporary block stemmed from a separate lawsuit, Campbell’s office said.
Campbell noted in a press release that Massachusetts receives more than $20 billion in federal funding annually and employs nearly 3,000 people through federal grants. The lawsuit looks to immediately halt the aid freeze and “preserve essential funding” for health, infrastructure, disaster relief, and more, Campbell’s office said.
“Today’s action sends a clear message to the Trump Administration that attorneys general will continue to do our jobs to protect our residents and state economies, and hold anyone, including the President, accountable for causing them harm,” Campbell said in a statement.
Campbell, as well as attorneys general from New York, California, Illinois, New Jers