On January 27, 2025, the acting Head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent a memo on behalf of President Donald Trump to temporarily pause federal assistance programs that fund “foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.” According to the memo, all federal funding would be frozen on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m, giving agencies until Feb. 10 to provide detailed information on any programs that would be affected by the pause. The memo caused widespread panic and confusion among the citizens, organizations, and schools that rely on federal assistance. Officials said the pause was needed to review whether or not the programs fit with Trump’s new policies and executive order. The memo stated that “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.”
Amid the panic, White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, released a statement saying the pause would not affect assistance that goes directly to individuals (Social Security, Medicare, and SNAP Benefits). However, at that point, it was still unclear what programs would be impacted by the pause. This meant that millions of Americans who rely on programs such as Meal on Wheels, Head Start, and many other programs in which funding does not directly go to individuals were left wondering whether or not they would be stripped of the basic necessities these programs provide. Even though Medicaid was not targeted by the freeze, many people blamed the Medicaid portal “outage” on the memo. Which only served to increase panic among individuals.Â
Many government officials spoke out against the freeze. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the freeze saying the decision was “lawless, dangerous, destructive, cruel.” Senator Patty Murray of Washington called the memo a “brazen and illegal move.” A group of 22 States and the District of Columbia officially challenged the memo. In response, Judge Loren L. AliKhan, for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, issued a stay on the federal funding freeze minutes before it went into effect. Taking into consideration that Article I of the Constitution grants Congress the power to oversee and control federal spending and the Judge’s ruling on the matter, it becomes clear that an Executive decision to stop funding allocated by Congress, even temporarily, would be both illegal and unconstitutional.
Ultimately, after the widespread opposition and a court-ordered pause the Trump administration rescinded the memo on Jan. 29. However, according to the White House, this only rescinds the blanket Freeze, meaning that funding that has been paused or ended by Trump’s other executive orders is still in effect. This active freeze includes DEI-related programs, foreign aid, and funds made available by the Inflation Reduction Act.