‘Reckless and deliberately vague’: Kansas rep. blasts Trump's federal spending freeze

Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
29 January
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally, in Henderson, Nevada, U.S. October 31, 2024.

TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat, said President Donald Trump’s sudden pause of federal grants, loans and other financial assistance programs was causing unnecessary disruption and anxiety for Kansans.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocked the spending freeze until Monday when a hearing on the issue was scheduled.

The Trump administration’s standstill in allocation of federal tax dollars was devised to create a window for an administrative review intended to root out initiatives opposed by the president.

“Families shouldn’t have to worry about feeding their kids, keeping a roof over their heads or affording health care,” Davids said. “This reckless and deliberately vague order cuts vital investments in our economy that hardworking Kansans rely on to stay safe and healthy.”

Davids said the Trump administration should be working to address “real needs of our communities” that included lowering the cost of living for families rather than prioritizing interests of “big corporations and special interests.”

The president’s order put public safety as risk by jeopardizing funding to law enforcement, homeland security and disaster response programs, Davids said. Questions were raised about implications for federally funded road, bridge and transit infrastructure projects, she said.

Davids said the president’s directive could interfere with operation of Head Start, mental health services, the 988 Suicide Crisis Lifeline as well as funding for tribal communities, small business loans and energy programs.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, said Trump’s directive wouldn’t disrupt services and benefits offered through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Moran, chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said he was assured no VA programs, including those provided through grant recipients, would be undercut by directives issued by Trump through the Office of Management and Budget.

“Veterans and their families, as well as the organizations that serve them, will continue to have access to the benefits, services and resources provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Moran said. “I appreciate the VA quickly providing answers to my questions and continuing the important programs that serve our veterans and their families.”

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com.

From Your Site Articles