Federal judge deals Trump a court blow — citing comments from his press secretary

A federal judge in Rhode Island has blocked President Donald Trump's controversial move to freeze the dispensation of federal grants and funding to nongovernmental organizations — citing in part comments made by his press secretary.

The relief was granted on behalf of numerous Democratic state attorneys general, who sued to block Trump from moving ahead. Trump's order, laid out in a memo by the Office of Management and Budget, had led to widespread chaos as everything from the Medicaid portal to organizations like Meals on Wheels were unsure if they would get funding to stay open.

"Because of the breadth and ambiguity of the 'pause,' the Court must consider the States’ TRO motion today based on the effect it will have on many — but perhaps not all — grants and programs it is intended to cover," wrote Judge John McConnell. "Are there some aspects of the pause that might be legal and appropriate constitutionally for the Executive to take? The Court imagines there are, but it is equally sure that there are many instances in the Executive Orders’ wide-ranging, all-encompassing, and ambiguous 'pause' of critical funding that are not. The Court must act in these early stages of the litigation under the 'worst case scenario' because the breadth and ambiguity of the Executive’s action makes it impossible to do otherwise."

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In particular, McConnell wrote, the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits for a variety of reasons — including that state governments could suffer "irreparable harm" if the order goes into effect.

The Trump administration tried to argue the issue was moot because the OMB memo was revoked shortly after the outcry — but McConnell said the order that underpinned the memo was still very much in effect. "About twenty minutes before the Defendants filed the Notice, the President’s Press Secretary sent a statement via the X platform that said: “The President’s [Executive Orders] EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented,” McConnell noted.

"During the pendency of the Temporary Restraining Order, Defendants shall not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate Defendants’ compliance with awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the States, and Defendants shall not impede the States’ access to such awards and obligations, except on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms," wrote McConnell.