Thanks to a social media post by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the Trump administration may have just found itself in even more legal trouble over the federal funding controversy.
The president kicked off his second week in office by igniting a massive uproar and chaos, as his Office of Management and Budget issued a federal spending freeze that appeared to illegally withhold funding from dozens of agencies and federally-backed non-governmental organizations. Trump aides bounced back and forth between defending the policy, which appears to be an attempt to defy the law banning presidential "impoundment," and denying it would impact critical programs like Medicaid and Meals on Wheels — then after a federal judge paused the order while litigation moves ahead, OMB withdrew the memo.
But that wasn't the end of the story.
Shortly after the rescission, Leavitt posted on X that the funding freeze remained in effect, in apparent defiance of the federal court order.
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"This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo," she wrote. "Why? To end any confusion created by the court's injunction. The President's EO's on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented."
In saying this, however, Leavitt gave an opening for a large coalition of Democratic state attorneys general suing to permanently block the order to tell a federal judge that they needed a restraining order against the administration.
"In court just now, the states are introducing @PressSec tweet saying the funding freeze is still active as evidence that their lawsuit should continue," reported Politico's Kyle Cheney. U.S. Chief District Judge John McConnell granted the states' request, saying the "hugely ambiguous" withdrawal of the OMB memo is irrelevant "based on comments by the president’s press secretary.”
"I can't believe I am saying this, but that's my read of a tweet," the judge added.
