The temporary stay on President Donald Trump’s planned “temporary pause” on federal grant funding is no more, as the proposed plan has been rescinded.
Local non-profit agencies were recently informed that the pause, which would have frozen access to all federal grants temporarily, has been shelved at least for the time being. The “temporary pause” announced this week by the Trump administration is being called an effort to ensure entities ranging from nonprofits to universities to recipients of small business loans and local government grants aren’t running counter to recent orders and executive decisions from Trump since he took office.
The pause was itself paused earlier this week following an order from a federal judge in Washington DC with a hearing on the matter previously scheduled for Monday.
An exact reason for the discontinuation of the federal grant freeze has not been stated as of yet. However; all agencies that could have been affected by this action are being directed to their “agency General Counsel” with any questions or concerns.
If the freeze had gone forward, the White House says it could have affected up to $3 trillion in federal assistance programs based on funding from last year. The New York Times listed some 2,600 programs that could have been impacted, including:
*Federal Transit Formula Grants for operating city buses and trains.
*The National School Lunch Program
*The Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscapes, funding wildfire prevention programs
*The CHIPS Incentives Program, supporting semiconductor manufacturing projects
Special Education Grants to States for students with disabilities.
*The High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, which helps law enforcement investigate and prevent drug crimes.
7 am Wednesday: Federal funding freeze on hold — at least for now
President Trump’s plan to freeze federal grants, loans, foreign aid and other funding is on hold for now.
A federal judge in Washington, DC, ordered an administrative stay until at least next week. Judge Loren AliKhan will have a hearing Monday for additional arguments, although the hearing will deal with open grant disbursements — not the overall legality of Trump’s freeze idea.
The Trump administration says this is a “temporary pause” to make sure entities ranging from nonprofits to universities to recipients of small business loans and local government grants aren’t running counter to recent orders and executive decisions from Trump since he took office.
Several state attorneys general and a host of groups nationally have filed lawsuits seeking to block the freeze. Constitutional experts also say this violates Article I, which says the “power of the purse” is held by Congress, not the President.
If the freeze goes forward, the White House says it could affect up to $3 trillion in federal assistance programs based on funding from last year. The New York Times has listed some 2,600 programs that could be impacted, including:
*Federal Transit Formula Grants for operating city buses and trains.
*The National School Lunch Program
*The Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscapes, funding wildfire prevention programs
*The CHIPS Incentives Program, supporting semiconductor manufacturing projects
Special Education Grants to States for students with disabilities.
The High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, which helps law enforcement investigate and prevent drug crimes.
