Court to Hear Lawsuit Against Trump’s Order to Halt Federal Funds

A judge in the United States has temporarily suspended President Donald Trump‘s order to freeze hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants and loans before it was due to take effect. Judge Lauren Ali Khan granted the stay until next Monday, following a lawsuit filed by a group of organizations of individuals who had previously received the approval.

The lawsuit alleges that the White House violated the law by temporarily suspending funding that had already been approved. The court order came hours before the president’s order was to take effect, although there was widespread confusion about which agencies or programs the president’s order would apply to.

The acting head of the White House Budget Office has directed relevant agencies to temporarily suspend the distribution of federal financial assistance funds or all related activities. It said they took this step to review the new administration’s approval and loan issues.

White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt said the suspension of billions of dollars in funding for the US government was “good stewardship of tax dollars.” In his first press briefing with reporters, he said that the government could look at reducing spending on gender issues or diversity programs due to the funding freeze.

But it has also caused confusion and anger among many, reminding nonprofits and research organizations that receive such grants and loans of the rapid loss of funding. Judge Ali Khan issued a stay on Tuesday. The hearing will be held on Monday.

The White House directive will affect billions of dollars in federal government programs, from disaster relief to cancer research. Diane Yentel, president of the National Council of Nonprofits, cheered the court’s ruling on social media. “Our case has been successful – the court has blocked the decision to suspend federal funding,” she wrote.

They claim that Trump’s order was not based on any logic or law and will affect the entire United States. A coalition of Democratic states has also filed another lawsuit, claiming Trump’s order is unconstitutional.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told reporters that the president’s order would allow the government to exercise “credit control.” “It won’t affect any federal programs,” he said in response to a question about whether it would affect food assistance programs.

The issue of funding for government health insurance programs in some states came up for discussion on Tuesday. The White House later said the programs would not be affected and that the issue would be resolved quickly.

It has also been announced that there will be no impact on the Social Security program. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the president’s action would create chaos.