By LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A planned Trump administration freeze on federal funding is heading back to a Washington courtroom on Monday.
A judge is expected to consider extending her temporary block on President Donald Trump’s plan to halt federal grants and loans, which originally targeted a wide range of funding totaling potentially trillions of dollars. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan in Washington blocked the funding freeze minutes before it was scheduled to take effect, but her short stay lasts only until Monday afternoon, unless she decides to extend it.
A second judge in Rhode Island issued a temporary order on Friday blocking Trump’s Republican administration from halting federal funding in a separate lawsuit filed by nearly two dozen Democratic states.
The Trump administration memo targeting across-the-board funding was quickly rescinded, but the White House press secretary has said that a funding freeze is still planned in line with Trump’s blitz of executive orders.
The president wants to increase fossil fuel production, remove protections for transgender people and end diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
The Washington lawsuit was filed by nonprofit groups that stand to lose federal funding. The groups say Trump’s plan is illegal and its ideological bent violates their freedom of speech.
The Trump administration argues the groups haven’t shown they’ll be harmed by the plan, which could be a brief pause in line with federal law. The administration had said it wouldn’t affect payments to individuals like Medicare, Social Security or Medicaid.