U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) is among many Democrats who expressed concern after President Donald Trump announced a freeze on federal funds.
The Trump administration sent a memo to federal agencies late Monday night. The memorandum sent by the Office of Management and Budget stated that Federal agencies will be required to identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs. The order stated that federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities “related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.”
Murphy and other Democratic lawmakers rebuked Trump’s decision on Tuesday. Murphy said it’s confused state programs and non-profit organizations that rely on federal funding. Murphy called the decision illegal and unconstitutional. He said the scope of the damage will be enormous.
“What President Trump is doing is seizing control of the federal budget and deciding by himself who gets money and who doesn’t,” Murphy said.
In the memo, Acting Director Matthew J. Vaeth said financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing “administration priorities” and that it plans to end “wokeness” and the weaponization of government. The department will review programs like financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, “woke gender ideology,” and the Green New Deal.
“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” Vaeth said.
The freeze is slated to take effect on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m. Agencies will be required to submit detailed information on any programs subject to this pause. But lawmakers say the pause poses a threat to groups like head start programs, cancer research and veterans programs.
“This is what a king does. This is not how a democracy works. One man does not decide how taxpayers' money is spent so that it only gets sent to the president’s political friends and gets used to punish his political enemies,” Murphy said.
Attorneys general from several states are in talks to take legal action. Since the president's announcement, federal agencies and nonprofit groups have been left scrambling to determine what it would mean for their department. Others have come out condemning the decision.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said the freeze will have a negative impact on veterans and their families. He said pausing funding for critical programs like homeless veterans, funding for veterans’ nursing homes and suicide prevention programs.
“We are here on a morning when all of these [VA] programs are in severe and urgent jeopardy. The Trump Administration has announced – illegally – that it will freeze federal aid for programs that are immensely important to veterans,” Blumenthal said.
This is a developing story.