Trump administration’s federal funding freeze spurs anxiety

United States President Donald Trump’s administration has frozen funding for a wide range of federal programmes, in a move that experts say could potentially disrupt education, healthcare, poverty reduction and disaster relief schemes.

Officials said the decision, which is scheduled to take effect at 5pm EST (22: 00 GMT) on Tuesday, was necessary to ensure that all funding complies with Trump’s priorities, including his crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the federal budget, said in a memo that the freeze included any money intended “for foreign aid” and for “nongovernmental organizations”, among other categories.

The pause, according to the White House, would not have an impact on Medicare and Social Security payments, or “assistance provided directly to individuals.”

According to sources, this means that some poor food aid programs won’t suffer as a result.

But the funding freeze could affect trillions of dollars, at least temporarily, and cause potential interruptions in healthcare research, education programmes and other initiatives. It is supposed to be stopped even grants that have been given but not actually used.

State agencies and early education centers reportedly had trouble obtaining funding for Medicaid, a low-income healthcare program, and Head Start, a program that provides early childhood support.

On Tuesday, four organizations representing non-profits, public health professionals, and small businesses filed a lawsuit against Trump’s directive, contending that it will “will have a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of grant recipients.”

“From pausing research on cures for childhood cancer to halting food assistance, safety from domestic violence, and closing suicide hotlines, the impact of even a short pause in funding could be devastating and cost lives”, Diane Yentel, the president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, said in a statement.

Her group was among the four groups involved in Tuesday’s lawsuit.

Democratic state attorneys general pledged to fight the court order as well.

Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, claimed she intended to request a federal court in Manhattan to stop the Republican president’s actions.

“My office will be taking imminent legal action against this administration’s unconstitutional pause on federal funding”, James said on social media. “We won’t sit idly by while this administration harms our families”.

Democratic congressman from Florida Maxwell Alejandro Frost also claimed in a social media post on Tuesday afternoon that his team had spoken with numerous organizations and organizations that had been “completely cut off from federal funding.”

“We’re talking housing, homeless services, public safety”, he wrote, warning that the freeze “could have drastic local impacts”.

We’ve been on the phone with multiple agencies/orgs. They’ve been completely cut off from federal money. We’re talking housing, homeless services, public safety, etc.

I’m holding a press conference today to explain how this might have significant local effects on our electorates.

Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Senate Democrats, claimed that the Trump administration was unable to veto legislation that would block US Congress’ approval of spending.

“This decision is lawless, destructive, cruel”, Schumer said in a speech to the Senate. American families will suffer the most, according to the statement.

Trump claimed during his campaign that he believed the president had the authority to withhold money from programs he dislikes, but the US Constitution gives Congress complete control over spending.

Congressman Tom Emmer, one of the top Republicans in the House of Representatives, said Trump was simply following through on his campaign promises.

You must be aware that he was elected to upend the status quo. He intends to do that as well. At a Republican policy retreat in Miami, Emmer stated to reporters that things won’t go as they used to.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the White House, also defended the administration’s decision, telling reporters on Tuesday afternoon that Trump and his team were “good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

The Trump administration’s grant and assistance programs are not halted completely. Individual assistance that includes … Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits, food stamps, welfare benefits, assistance that is going directly to individuals, will not be impacted”.

Leavitt claimed that the freeze “entails no longer funding for illegal DEI programs” or “the Green New Scam,” a term used by Trump and his allies to describe the actions former president Joe Biden took to address the climate crisis.

She said, “It means no longer funding for transgender sensitivity and apathy across our federal bureaucracies and agencies.”

The Office of Management and Budget memo is the latest directive in Trump’s push to dramatically reshape the federal government, the country’s largest employer, since he took office on January 20.

Since the start of his second term, Trump has slapped DEI programs and placed a freeze on federal hiring. He has also taken numerous executive actions.

The president also signed an executive order last week mandating a 90-day suspension of foreign aid and reviewing current programs.

With the exception of Israel and Egypt, the US State Department, which is one of the most important allies in the Middle East, announced in a memo a few days later that it was suspending nearly all new funding for foreign aid programs.

The administration has taken a step to stop the distribution of medications for treating HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis in nations that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supports, as well as medical supplies for newborn babies.

Source: Aljazeera