The White House budget office has ordered a pause on all federal grants and loans, according to an internal memorandum sent Monday. The pause also blocks the issuance of new grants.
The freeze is slated to take effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday and could impact trillions of dollars. It marks the latest move by the Trump administration to exert control over federal funding, even that which has already been allocated by Congress.
Here’s what lawmakers have responded so far:
• Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut — the top Democratic appropriators in Congress — wrote to the White House on Monday night outlining their “extreme alarm” with the move. “The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country,” they said.
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer quickly criticized the move. “Congress approved these investments and they are not optional; they are the law,” the New York Democrat said. “These grants help people in red states and blue states, support families, help parents raise kids, and lead to stronger communities.”