Second federal judge preparing to slam the door on Trump’s 'hugely ambiguous' funding freeze

29 January

President Donald Trump may be about to strike out in a separate federal court — this time, concerning his administration's attempted 90-day freeze on federal grants and loans.

Politico reported Wednesday that U.S. District Judge John McConnell, who was appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama in 2011, indicated he would halt the order implementing the funding freeze, which he described as "hugely ambiguous." McConnell made the remarks to multiple Democratic attorneys general who are suing the Trump administration over the executive order.

“I’m inclined to grant the restraining order,” McConnell said during a Tuesday hearing. “I fear ... that the administration is acting with a distinction without a difference.”

The Trump White House's Office of Management and Budget attempted to circumvent the legal challenges to the freeze by rescinding the memo that caused panic for most of Tuesday. However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to undercut those efforts by stating that the funding freeze was still in effect despite the memo's retraction, pointing to a previous executive order.

"This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze," Leavitt tweeted on Wednesday. "The President's EO's on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented."

Judge McConnell's announcement comes on the heels of another judge putting a temporary pause on the freeze until Monday evening so litigation challenging it can play out. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan (an appointee of former President Joe Biden) imposed the temporary stay in response to a lawsuit filed by the National Council of Nonprofits. Judge McConnell — the chief judge for the District of Rhode Island — is overseeing a separate challenge brought by several Democratic attorneys general.

Should McConnell side with the attorneys general and halt the funding freeze, it would be the third time one of Trump's executive actions was shot down in the courts less than two weeks into Trump's second term. The president's January 20 executive order attempting to take away birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants was also halted in court, with U.S. Districgt Judge John Cougheneur calling it "blatantly unconstitutional."

Click here to read Politico's article in its entirety.

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