Judge says Trump administration is not in full compliance with order on spending : NPR

A federal judge in Rhode Island has found that the Trump administration has continued to improperly freeze some federal funds, despite a temporary restraining order issued late last month blocking its efforts to pause payments for grants and other federal programs.

In a five-page order issued Monday, U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell, Jr. wrote that the administration, in several instances, has continued “to improperly freeze federal funds and refused to resume disbursement of appropriated federal funds.”

Monday’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by attorneys general in 22 states and the District of Columbia. In his decision, McConnell ordered the administration to “immediately restore frozen funding” and “immediately end any federal funding pause” that affects the challengers. 

The Trump administration argued in a court filing leading up to the decision that it had acted “in good faith to interpret the scope of the Court’s [temporary restraining order] and expeditiously resume any funding that is subject to it.”

The order is one of two lawsuits filed against the administration in response to the attempted funding pause, originally detailed in a memo by the Office of Management and Budget in late January. The memo was rescinded days after it was released, but the White House has said a review of federal funding is still necessary to make sure that spending aligns with the president’s agenda.

In his order, McConnell said the freeze was “likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country.”

The judge pointed to information from the plaintiffs in the case that some funding has continued to experience delays and remains inaccessible after the initial court order. In a display that accompanied the judge’s ruling, the states outlined impacted funding from various agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The judge’s order specifically mandates the administration to reinstate any withheld funds that were allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act — both of which were approved during the Biden administration.

The Trump administration argued in its submission on Sunday that the temporary restraining order did not clearly apply to that spending because it was halted under a separate OMB memo.

Among the attorneys general contesting the administration’s spending freeze is Letitia James of New York, who hailed the decision as a triumph for “millions of Americans in need.”

“In accordance with the law, the President does not possess the authority to trim any spending at will,” James stated in a social media post. “I will ensure that this administration abides by the law.”

Apart from the order in Rhode Island, a federal judge in Washington D.C. has also issued a temporary restraining order against the administration, preventing the memo from being implemented and prohibiting the administration from executing it under a different guise.