If you’re following the news, you may have heard that President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo earlier this week that announced his administration would fully freeze all federal grants and loans, along with other financial assistance.
It might be hard to wrap your head around the scale of an order like that, so let me give you some examples of what that means: Funding for Head Start programs for your kids…support services for veterans…community health centers…domestic violence shelters…the salaries of local firefighters…Section 8 housing vouchers for low-income folks…all of those crucial services and so much more, suddenly at risk.
Over the course of the week, that OMB memo caused widespread confusion and panic – for the millions of Americans who rely on important programs and funding everyday and for the amazing folks on the ground in our communities who provide those services. Agencies and organizations were scrambling to figure out how they would be impacted (services cut, staff layoffs, and more) – and states found that they were suddenly locked out of the Medicaid portal and potentially unable to provide health care to low-income Americans.
Fortunately, that panic also turned to action. After significant public outcry and state attorneys general coming together in a lawsuit, a federal judge indicated that he would issue a restraining order (essentially, freezing the freeze). Around the same time – to add more confusion to everything else – President Trump’s press secretary said OMB was rescinding the memo (but still trying to keep some of the freezes in place).
There are still a lot of outstanding questions, but a few things are pretty clear. First, the chaos and confusion are the point. They are trying to overwhelm us so we feel powerless and unable to push back as they dismantle our systems.
We also know that this move – temporary or not – directly violates the Constitution. We are long overdue for a serious conversation about where and how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. But the Founders of this country gave Congress control of public spending – “the power of the purse” – to protect from instances of presidential overreach just like this.
Whether or not Donald Trump wants to cut back on government spending, this freeze isn’t about that. It’s about defying the Constitution, concentrating power, and pushing an extreme agenda without the checks and balances built into the structure of our government.
My colleagues in the House and I will do everything we can to stop this. More soon as the fight unfolds.
Thanks for reading,
Sara
