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  • USAID website goes offline amid Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid



    Washington
    AP
     — 

    The website of the US Agency for International Development went offline without explanation Saturday as thousands of furloughs, layoffs and program shutdowns continued amid President Donald Trump’s freeze on US-funded foreign aid and development worldwide.

    Congressional Democrats have battled the Trump administration increasingly openly, expressing concern that Trump may be headed toward ending USAID as an independent agency and absorbing it into the State Department. Democrats say Trump has no legal authority to eliminate a congressionally funded independent agency, and that the work of USAID is vital to national security.

    Trump and congressional Republicans say much of foreign aid and development programs are wasteful. They single out programs they say advance liberal social agendas.

    The fear of even tougher administration action against USAID comes two weeks into the administration’s shutdown of billions of dollars of the United States’ humanitarian, development and security assistance.

    The US is the world’s largest donor of humanitarian aid by far. It spends less than 1% of its budget on foreign assistance, a smaller share overall than some other countries.

    Administration officials had no comment Saturday when asked about concerns expressed by lawmakers and others that Trump may be planning to end USAID as an independent agency.

    President John F. Kennedy created USAID at the height of the Cold War to counter Soviet influence. Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act in 1961, and Kennedy signed that law and an executive order establishing USAID as an independent agency. USAID today is at the center of US challenges to the growing influence of China, which has a successful “Belt and Road” foreign aid program of its own.

    USAID staffers spent Friday and Saturday in group chats monitoring the fate of their agency, giving updates on whether the USAID flag and signs were still up outside headquarters in Washington. As of late Saturday afternoon, they were.

    In a Friday post on X, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said presidents cannot eliminate congressionally appropriated federal agencies by executive order, and said Trump was poised to “double down on a constitutional crisis.”

    “That’s what a despot — who wants to steal the taxpayers’ money to enrich his billionaire cabal — does,” Murphy said.

    Billionaire Elon Musk, advising Trump in a campaign to whittle down the federal government in the name of efficiency, endorsed posts on his X site calling for dissolving USAID.

    “Live by executive order, die by executive order,” Musk posted Saturday in reference to USAID.

    Trump placed an unprecedented 90-day freeze on foreign assistance on his first day in office January 20. Days later, the State Department froze nearly all foreign assistance worldwide, shutting down thousands of programs around the world and forcing the furloughs or layoffs of many thousands.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since moved to keep more kinds of strictly life-saving emergency programs going during the freeze. Aid groups say confusion surrounding what programs are still allowed to operate is contributing to paralysis in global aid organizations.

    Rubio said Thursday, in his first public comments on the matter, that USAID’s programs were being reviewed to eliminate any that are not in the national interest, but he said nothing about eliminating USAID as an agency.

    The shutdown of US-funded programs during the 90-day review meant the US was “getting a lot more cooperation” from recipients of humanitarian, development and security assistance, Rubio said.

    Republicans and Democrats have fought over the agency for years, arguing whether humanitarian and development aid protects the US by helping stabilize partner countries and economies, or whether it is a waste of money. Republicans typically push to give the State Department more control of USAID’s policy and funds, while Democrats typically build USAID autonomy and authority.

    A version of that legal battle played out in Trump’s first term, when the president tried to cut the budget for foreign operations by a third.

    When Congress refused, the Trump administration used freezes and other tactics to cut the flow of funds already appropriated by Congress for foreign programs. The General Accounting Office later ruled that it violated a law known as the Impoundment Control Act.



    The USAID website has mysteriously gone offline amidst the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid. This unprecedented move has raised concerns among experts and advocates who rely on the website for critical information and updates on global aid programs.

    The website, which serves as a hub for USAID’s efforts to provide assistance to developing countries, has been inaccessible for several days now. This outage comes at a time when the Trump administration is facing scrutiny for its controversial decision to freeze billions of dollars in foreign aid.

    Many are questioning whether the website’s disappearance is a deliberate attempt to suppress information about USAID’s work and the impact of the administration’s foreign aid policies. Critics argue that this move could hinder transparency and accountability in the distribution of aid funds.

    In response to the outage, USAID officials have stated that they are working to resolve the issue and restore the website as soon as possible. However, the timing of this incident has only fueled suspicions about the administration’s motives.

    As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how this outage will impact the flow of information and resources to those in need around the world. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.

    Tags:

    USAID, Trump administration, foreign aid freeze, USAID website, government shutdown, international development, global assistance, US foreign policy, aid funding, international relations

    #USAID #website #offline #Trump #administrations #freeze #foreign #aid

  • Trump spending freeze is confusing. But deficit must be cut




    The recent announcement of a spending freeze by the Trump administration has left many Americans scratching their heads. With the deficit climbing to record levels, it seems counterintuitive to freeze spending on essential programs and services.

    While cutting the deficit is a necessary goal, the method in which it is being approached is causing confusion and concern among citizens. Many are worried about the potential impact on vital services such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

    It is important for the administration to provide more clarity on their plans for cutting the deficit and how they will ensure that essential programs are not compromised. Transparency and communication are key in gaining the support and understanding of the American people.

    Ultimately, the deficit must be addressed, but it must be done in a thoughtful and strategic manner that prioritizes the well-being of the country and its citizens. Let’s hope that the Trump administration can provide more clarity and reassurance as they move forward with their spending freeze plans.

    Tags:

    Trump spending freeze, deficit reduction, government budget, fiscal policy, economic strategy, political confusion, financial planning, national debt, budgetary constraints, political decisions.

    #Trump #spending #freeze #confusing #deficit #cut

  • Beneath Trump’s Chaotic Spending Freeze: An Idea That Crosses Party Lines


    When President Trump said on Wednesday that his order to freeze federal spending was about “scams, dishonesty, waste and abuse,” he was echoing promises made by his predecessors in both parties.

    Yes, the memo was a sweeping attempt to remake what he calls a “woke” government in his image. Yes, it was part of his retribution agenda to purge the “deep state” of his perceived enemies. And yes, it was an assertion of presidential power that threatened to undermine a core congressional authority — the power to direct federal spending.

    But beneath all that, it was also one of the most far-reaching attempts to somehow reverse the seemingly inexorable growth of the federal government, an issue that resonates with some Democrats as well as most Republicans.

    Mr. Trump’s order was blocked by a federal judge, but the chaos and confusion it caused may make it even harder to achieve his desired goal. Democrats now appear energized to oppose any effort by the president to slash programs, and government unions have issued new statements vowing to protect their workers from cuts. Organizations that receive federal money are now worried and wary.

    But there is no indication that Mr. Trump is likely to give up. In a social media post on Wednesday, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, referred to a series of executive orders signed by Mr. Trump, saying that “the President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented.”

    If that is the case, Mr. Trump will be continuing a mostly-failed effort by a long series of presidents and Congress. As measured by the numbers of people it employs, the federal bureaucracy increased by about 12 percent between 1984 (when Ronald Reagan was president) and 2020 (near the end of Mr. Trump’s first term), according to data compiled by the Brookings Institution. During that period, the population of the United States grew faster, by around 45 percent.

    The amount of money the government spends has skyrocketed under Democratic and Republican presidents. Total federal spending in 2015 was $4.89 trillion, according to federal data. In 2024, it was $6.75 trillion. Even when accounting for the growth of the overall economy, spending as a percentage of gross domestic product was higher in 2024 than it was eight years earlier.

    In that same period, the national debt — the total amount that the government has borrowed — grew to $35.4 trillion from $18.1 trillion.

    Maya MacGuineas, the president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said Mr. Trump’s memo appeared to be designed less to shrink government and more to “eliminate programs at odds with the Administration’s social and cultural values.” But she said that does not mean the underlying idea was a mistake.

    “A similar exercise, however (minus the chaotic release, and including an assessment before changes were made rather than the other way around) would be immensely useful in controlling spending if the focus were on evaluating efficiency and effectiveness,” she said. “A granular exercise like this is desperately needed in as many tax expenditure and spending programs as possible.”

    There is a long history of attempts to rein in spending and address concerns that the government is bloated and inefficient.

    Vice President Al Gore created and led the National Partnership for Reinventing Government in 1993 in the hopes of making government more efficient, more cost-effective and, ultimately, smaller. Over a number of years, hundreds of government agencies were either eliminated or consolidated, but the effort did little to change the overall direction of the government’s growth.

    President George W. Bush, like many Republicans of his day, championed a smaller federal government during his term, but oversaw a period when the government grew under his eight-year watch. In a State of the Union address at the beginning of his second term, President Barack Obama said “it’s not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government.” He, too, presided over a government that expanded.

    In part, experts say, that is because despite being a bipartisan goal, the Republican and Democratic parties have grown increasingly more divided about which parts of the government to keep and which to cut.

    Democrats have tended to favor social programs, such as education, child welfare, health care, the environment and diplomacy. Republicans — and more recently Mr. Trump’s MAGA movement — have been focused on the border, police and building a larger military. Areas of agreement, or at least compromise, have become more and more rare.

    For his part, Mr. Trump has always talked a big game about wanting to disrupt what he calls “the establishment” in part by waging war against the federal bureaucracy.

    In his first inaugural address, Mr. Trump hinted at his disdain of the federal government that he had been elected to lead, saying that “we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the American people.”

    “Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth,” he added.

    By his second inaugural address this month, it was clear that the president’s animosity toward the federal government and its employees had only deepened.

    “Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency,” he asserted, saying that since he departed the White House four years ago, “we now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home while, at the same time, stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad.”

    Mr. Trump promised he would “restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government.”

    But as president the first time, Mr. Trump was often reminded how difficult it can be to alter the arc of the government. Not counting the military and contractors, the size of the civilian federal work force grew from about 1.85 million employees to about 1.94 million employees. That came about in part because the government hired workers for efforts toward the president’s goals on border security, trade and support for veterans, according to a recent analysis.

    The president’s efforts to slash the government this week have been more direct and more blunt. The funding freeze memo was meant to identify large parts of the federal bureaucracy to eliminate if the work clashed with Mr. Trump’s conservative social and cultural views.

    A second order, which remains in force for now, offers an early retirement option for employees who don’t want to return to the office after working from home since the Covid pandemic. The administration has estimated that as many as 10 percent of the federal work force might accept the offer. But if even half of that number do, it would be a dramatic reduction in the number of government workers.

    Still, Ms. MacGuineas said that even those kinds of cuts would not be enough to confront the nation’s burgeoning debt from spending too much over many decades.

    To make a real impact on the debt, she said, “we are going to have to look at the big areas of the budget for savings — Social Security, health care, and revenues — the very same areas both political parties are tripping over themselves not to address.”



    In the midst of President Trump’s recent announcement of a spending freeze, there lies an idea that has the potential to bring both Democrats and Republicans together in a rare show of bipartisanship.

    The idea revolves around the concept of fiscal responsibility and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. While the specifics of the spending freeze may be contentious, the underlying principle of curbing unnecessary government spending is one that both sides of the political spectrum can agree on.

    In a time of heightened political polarization, finding common ground on issues like government spending can be a refreshing change. By focusing on areas where there is agreement, rather than constantly bickering over divisive issues, politicians can work together to create policies that benefit all Americans.

    As the debate over the spending freeze continues, let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture: the need for responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. This is an idea that transcends party lines and has the potential to bring our country together in pursuit of a common goal.

    Tags:

    1. Trump spending freeze
    2. Bipartisan idea
    3. Political party lines
    4. Government spending
    5. Fiscal policy
    6. Trump administration
    7. Economic impact
    8. Cross-party cooperation
    9. Budget management
    10. Policy analysis

    #Beneath #Trumps #Chaotic #Spending #Freeze #Idea #Crosses #Party #Lines

  • How the World Is Reeling From Trump’s Aid Freeze


    In famine-stricken Sudan, soup kitchens that feed hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in a war zone have shut down.

    In Thailand, war refugees with life-threatening diseases have been turned away by hospitals and carted off on makeshift stretchers.

    In Ukraine, residents on the frontline of the war with Russia may be going without firewood in the middle of winter.

    Some of the world’s most vulnerable populations are already feeling President Trump’s sudden cutoff of billions of dollars in American aid that helps fend off starvation, treats diseases and provides shelter for the displaced.

    In a matter of days, Mr. Trump’s order to freeze nearly all U.S. foreign aid has intensified humanitarian crises and raised profound questions about America’s reliability and global standing.

    “Everyone is freaking out,” Atif Mukhtar of the Emergency Response Rooms, a local volunteer group in the besieged Sudanese capital, Khartoum, said of the aid freeze.

    Soon after announcing the cutoff, the Trump administration abruptly switched gears. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that “life-saving humanitarian assistance” could continue, offering a respite for what he called “core” efforts to provide food, medicine, shelter and other emergency needs.

    But he stressed that the reprieve was “temporary in nature,” with limited exceptions. Beyond that, hundreds of senior officials and workers who help distribute American aid had already been fired or put on leave, and many aid efforts remain paralyzed around the world.

    Most of the soup kitchens in Khartoum, the battle-torn capital of Sudan, have shut down. Until last week, the United States was the largest source of money for the volunteer-run kitchens that fed 816,000 people there.

    “For most people, it’s the only meal they get,” said Hajooj Kuka, a spokesman for the Emergency Response Rooms, describing Khartoum as a city “on the edge of starvation.”

    After the American money was frozen last week, some of the aid groups that channel those funds to the food kitchens said they were unsure if they were allowed to continue. Others cut off the money completely. Now, 434 of the 634 volunteer kitchens in the capital have shut down, Mr. Kuka said.

    “And more are going out of service every day,” he added.

    Many of the aid workers, doctors and people in need who rely on American aid are now reckoning with their relationship with the United States and the message the Trump administration is sending: America is focusing on itself.

    “It feels like one easy decision by the U.S. president is quietly killing so many lives,” said Saw Nah Pha, a tuberculosis patient who said he was told to leave a U.S.-funded hospital in the Mae La refugee camp, the largest refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border.

    Mr. Nah Pha, who fled Myanmar in 2007 to escape the fighting there, said the staff gave him a week’s supply of medicine and told him that was all they could provide. “Once my medicine runs out, I have nowhere else to get it,” he added.

    The public health implications of the aid freeze are broad, health workers say. In Cambodia, which had been on the cusp of eradicating malaria with the help of the United States, officials now worry that a halt in funding will set them back. In Nepal, a $72 million program to reduce malnutrition has been suspended. In South Africa and Haiti, officials and aid workers worry that hundreds of thousands of people could die if the Trump administration withdraws support for a signature American program to fight H.I.V. and AIDS.

    Some programs that don’t fit the category of lifesaving aid remain frozen, while others are explicitly barred because they fall outside of the administration’s ideological bounds, including any help with abortions, gender or diversity issues. (Though Mr. Rubio specifically barred assistance with abortions, federal law had already done so.)

    The United Nations Population Fund, the U.N.’s sexual and reproductive health agency, said that because of the funding freeze, maternal and mental health services to millions of women in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gaza, Ukraine, and other places had been disrupted or eliminated. In Afghanistan, where the Taliban has banned women from working, 1,700 Afghan women who worked for the agency would no longer be employed.

    At stake is not just the good will that the United States has built internationally, but also its work to promote America’s security interests. In Ivory Coast, an American-sponsored program collecting sensitive intelligence on Al Qaeda-related incidents has been interrupted.

    In the Democratic Republic of Congo, some of the funding to United Nations agencies supporting more than 4.5 million people displaced by a rapidly growing conflict in the country’s east has been frozen, according to a U.S. humanitarian official on the continent.

    Even with Mr. Rubio’s announcements that lifesaving efforts could resume, much of the American aid system in Africa remained paralyzed by the confusion and disruptions, including in conflict-hit areas where every day counts.

    “When they issue these broad orders, they don’t seem to understand what exactly they are turning off,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior U.S.A.I.D. official under the Biden administration who is now the president of Refugees International. “They’re pulling levers without knowing what’s on the other end.”

    Some of the roughly $70 billion in annual foreign aid approved by Congress has been directed at supporting civil society in countries with authoritarian regimes, especially in places where the United States sees democratic gains as furthering American security or diplomatic interests.

    In Iran, where the work of documenting detentions, executions and women’s rights abuses is done by outside entities funded by the United States, activists say the U.S. pullback now means that there will be few entities holding the Iranian government accountable.

    A Persian-language media outlet funded by the U.S. government said their employees were working on a voluntary basis to keep the website going for now, but they had fired all their freelancers. Without money, they said they could not keep going.

    “While Trump campaigned on a promise of maximum pressure on the Iranian government, his decision to cut funding for dozens of U.S.-supported pro-democracy and human rights initiatives does the opposite — it applies maximum pressure on the regime’s opponents,” said Omid Memarian, an expert on Iran’s human rights issues at DAWN, a Washington-based group focused on American foreign policy.

    In Cambodia, Pa Tongchen, 25, was relying on American funding for journalism in a country where nearly all independent media has been crushed. He was scheduled to start work on Feb. 3 as a staff reporter at a media outlet run by a nonprofit that was set up with U.S. support.

    Mr. Pa said he had hoped to shine a light on corruption through his work. “I want to help people who are vulnerable in our society,” he said. “They are ignored if no journalists report about them.”

    In Egypt, where the United States funds scholarships for more than 1,000 undergraduate students at private and public universities, students were left in limbo.

    “I was in real shock, and I didn’t know what to do, especially since they told us to leave the dorm immediately,” said Ahmed Mahmoud, 18, a student who was about to start classes next semester at the American University but instead had to throw all his belongings into five boxes.

    The fallout from the aid freeze is likely to reverberate geopolitically, giving American rivals, like China, a window of opportunity to present itself as a reliable partner.

    “That will set China apart from the U.S. to win the hearts and minds of many of the global south countries,” said Jingdong Yuan, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s China and Asia Security program.

    In Africa, America’s well-run aid machinery was one of the factors that differentiated the United States from China and Russia. While Moscow deploys mercenaries and Beijing mines for rare minerals, Washington has reached across the continent with aid programs worth billions of dollars that not only save lives, but also provide a powerful form of diplomatic soft power.

    Now much of that is in doubt. In Africa’s war zones, some are already regretful of their dependence on American aid.

    “It was our fault to rely so heavily on one donor,” said Mr. Atif, of the Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan. “But this has really shocked us. You can’t take food off people who are starving. That’s just insane.”

    On the border of Thailand and Myanmar, the implications of Mr. Trump’s decision were stark. There, a four-year civil war and decades of fighting between Myanmar’s military junta and ethnic armies have pushed thousands of refugees into Thailand.

    Saw Tha Ker, the camp leader for the Mae La camp, said he was told on Friday by the International Rescue Committee, a group that receives U.S. funding, that it would stop supporting medical care, water and waste management for all of the seven refugee hospitals managed by his camp.

    “The first thought that came to my mind was that whoever made this decision has no compassion at all,” said Mr. Tha Ker.

    Mr. Tha Ker said he and his staff had to tell 60 patients in one hospital that they had to go home. Videos posted on social media showed men carrying patients on makeshift stretchers through unpaved streets.

    “We explained to them that the hospital itself is like a person struggling to breathe through someone else’s nose,” he added. “Now that the support has stopped, it feels like we are just waiting for the end.”

    Reporting was contributed by Mujib Mashal in New Delhi, Pamodi Waravita in Colombo, Bhadra Sharma from Kathmandu, Elian Peltier in Dakar, Vivian Yee and Rania Khaled in Cairo, Daniel Politi in Buenos Aires, David C. Adams in Florida, Leily Nikounazar in Brussels and Sun Narin in Phnom Penh.



    In recent weeks, the world has been left in shock and disbelief as news of President Trump’s decision to freeze aid to various countries spreads. This unprecedented move has sent shockwaves through the international community, leaving many wondering about the potential consequences and implications.

    The decision to freeze aid to countries such as Ukraine, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala has been met with widespread condemnation and concern. Many fear that this abrupt halt in aid could have devastating effects on the most vulnerable populations in these countries, including women, children, and refugees.

    The freeze in aid has also raised questions about the United States’ role as a global leader and its commitment to supporting international development and humanitarian efforts. With the world already facing numerous challenges, from climate change to political instability, many are left wondering how this decision will impact global stability and cooperation.

    As the world grapples with the implications of Trump’s aid freeze, it is crucial for leaders and citizens alike to come together to find solutions and support those in need. Only through solidarity and collaboration can we hope to address the pressing issues facing our world today.

    Tags:

    1. Trump aid freeze
    2. USA aid freeze
    3. Global impact of aid freeze
    4. Political consequences of aid freeze
    5. Trump administration policies
    6. International relations under Trump
    7. Economic effects of aid freeze
    8. Humanitarian aid freeze
    9. Trump foreign policy
    10. World reaction to aid freeze

    #World #Reeling #Trumps #Aid #Freeze

  • US famine monitor offline amid Trump funding freeze


    The United States’ system for monitoring famine globally has been taken offline amid President Donald Trump’s order for a 90-day freeze on nearly all US foreign assistance.

    The Famine Early Warning System Network (Fewsnet) was established after the 1984 famine in Ethiopia, as part of a worldwide effort to prevent a repeat of its devastating impact.

    It was designed by US government agencies, including its international development body USAID and the space agency Nasa.

    It is regarded as a gold standard in combining weather data and political analysis to predict drought and food insecurity globally.

    Alongside a model run by the UN, the system allows aid officials to target emergency food supply ahead of time, and is credited with mitigating the effects of a devastating drought in the Horn of Africa in 2016.

    It has been used to try to target aid during the current famine in Sudan as the war continues there.

    A briefing service provided by the network was stopped as part of Trump’s suspension of nearly all foreign assistance, according to a source familiar with Fewsnet’s operations.

    Asked about the shutdown, USAID said it was “expeditiously processing exception requests” but could not “address every individual exception-related question”. It was not clear whether an exception request for Fewsnet was pending.

    The network is “insanely important”, according to Dave Harden, who oversaw its operation at USAID during the 2016 food security emergency in East Africa.

    “Because we had Fewsnet, and we had guard teams, we were able to pre-position food and supplies [in Ethiopia] and plant it in a way that was remarkably different than what happened in 1984,” he told the BBC.

    Last Friday, the State Department issued a “stop-work” order on all US foreign assistance, worth nearly $70bn a year, with the exception of emergency food aid and military aid to Israel and Egypt, pending a 90-day review to ensure programmes’ alignment with Trump’s “America First” foreign policy.

    Since then, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expanded the scope of projects eligible for waivers to the order, including for life-saving medicine and shelter, but there remains widespread confusion in the global aid sector, significant parts of which have been upended by the freeze.

    Fewsnet is operated by a USAID contractor, which declined to comment, while its website is run by another provider which did not respond to requests for comment.

    Explaining the thinking behind the breadth of stop-work orders, Mr Rubio said on Thursday that “things that save lives” were being exempted, adding that others could apply for waivers to ensure their projects were not an inefficient use of US taxpayer money and were aligned with Trump’s priorities.

    Proponents of the foreign aid freeze see US donations as bloated and carrying too much of the burden compared with other wealthy Western countries.

    The Trump administration has also vowed to end foreign aid funding for diversity and inclusion programmes, transgender rights, family planning, abortions and other issues long targeted by many Republicans.

    The exemption for emergency food aid does not appear so far to have included the famine-tracking operation.

    Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior official at USAID, described the system as “the single best resource” in the world for food insecurity prediction, adding that in 2011 it saw the famine coming in Somalia months ahead of time.

    “The client was the US government… but everything was put online. And that was really important – it became a global public good, [because] any donor in the world can use that, any government in the world can use that,” he said.

    “It’s a really critical resource… sounding the alarm when there is a major food crisis emerging.”

    A USAID spokesperson said: “We are expeditiously processing exception requests. Several urgent requests have been approved within hours. We cannot address every individual exception-related question but commit to transparency consistent with the President’s Executive Order.

    “The Secretary of State has approved core life-saving humanitarian assistance and issued waivers for specific purposes. Implementers of existing life-saving humanitarian assistance programs should continue or resume work.”



    The US Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitor has been forced offline due to a funding freeze imposed by the Trump administration. This crucial tool, which provides real-time information on food insecurity and famine risk around the world, is now unavailable to policymakers, aid organizations, and the public.

    The timing of this shutdown could not be worse, as the global COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of food insecurity for millions of people. Without the vital information provided by FEWS NET, it will be much harder to anticipate and respond to potential famines.

    It is essential that this funding freeze be lifted immediately so that the FEWS NET monitor can be restored and continue its important work. Lives are at stake, and we cannot afford to let politics get in the way of saving them. #SaveFEWSNET.

    Tags:

    1. US famine monitor
    2. Trump funding freeze
    3. Famine monitoring
    4. US government funding
    5. Food insecurity in America
    6. Famine crisis
    7. Government funding cuts
    8. US hunger crisis
    9. Impact of funding freeze
    10. Famine relief efforts

    #famine #monitor #offline #Trump #funding #freeze

  • Judge temporarily blocks part of Trump administration’s plans to freeze federal aid




    CNN
     — 

    A federal judge on Tuesday afternoon temporarily blocked part of the Trump administration’s plans to freeze all federal aid, a policy that unleashed confusion and worry from charities and educators even as the White House said it was not as sweeping an order as it appeared.

    The short-term pause issued by US District Judge Loren L. AliKhan prevents the administration from carrying through with its plans to freeze funding for “open awards” already granted by the federal government through at least 5 p.m. ET Monday, February 3.

    The judge’s administrative stay is “a way of preserving the status quo” while she considers the challenge brought by a group of non-profits to the White House plans, AliKhan said.

    “The government doesn’t know the full scope of the programs that are going to be subject to the pause,” AliKhan said after pressing an attorney for the Justice Department on what programs the freeze would apply to. AliKhan is expected to consider a longer-term pause on the policy early next week.

    The White House budget office had ordered the pause on federal grants and loans, according to an internal memorandum sent Monday.

    Federal agencies “must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance,” White House Office of Management and Budget acting director Matthew Vaeth said in the memorandum, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, citing administration priorities listed in past executive orders.

    The memo specifies the pause will not affect Social Security or Medicare benefits, nor does it include “assistance provided directly to individuals.”

    The order sent chills through organizations, both public and private, that rely on federal grants and loans for their operations, but the White House insisted the concern was misplaced.

    “This is not a blanket pause on federal assistance and grant programs from the Trump administration,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in her first White House briefing.

    Leavitt said the pause was directed more at Democratic priorities rather than making across-the-board cuts, and she said all agencies could make a case to the administration to keep their funding.

    “If they feel that programs are necessary and in line with the president’s agenda, then the Office of Management and Budget will review those policies,” said Leavitt.

    Leavitt declined to directly answer questions Tuesday about whether Medicaid funding would be affected by the order.

    For several hours on Tuesday, state Medicaid agencies were unable to access federal funds for the health insurance program that covers more than 72 million low-income Americans. However, during the afternoon, states started regaining access to the funding system.

    Connecticut’s Department of Social Services, which had told CNN that state Medicaid officials could not log into the system earlier in the day, said in the afternoon that access was restored. Medicaid policy experts also told CNN they were hearing reports of additional states being able to sign in.

    Just before 3 p.m., Leavitt posted on X, “The White House is aware of the Medicaid website portal outage. We have confirmed that no payments have been affected – they are still being processed and sent.”

    “We expect the portal will be back online shortly,” she posted.

    Leavitt’s comments followed the Office of Management and Budget issuing a Q&A on Tuesday afternoon stating “mandatory programs like Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps) will continue without pause.”

    The temporary loss of access prompted some Democratic lawmakers to lash out at the Trump administration.

    “My staff has confirmed reports that Medicaid portals are down in all 50 states following last night’s federal funding freeze,” Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, posted on X on Tuesday afternoon. “This is a blatant attempt to rip away health insurance from millions of Americans overnight and will get people killed.”

    At the top of the Department of Health and Human Services page for Payment Management Services (PMS), a notice was posted Tuesday in red, saying: “Due to Executive Orders regarding potentially unallowable grant payments, PMS is taking additional measures to process payments. Reviews of applicable programs and payments will result in delays and/or rejections of payments.”

    Less than 24 hours after the administration’s pause in funding was announced, several non-profits filed suit in federal court, asking a judge to stop the Trump administration’s decision.

    “The Memo fails to explain the source of (the Office of Management and Budget’s) purported legal authority to gut every program in the federal government,” the lawsuit states.

    The complaint – whose plaintiffs include the National Council of Nonprofits and the American Public Health Association – requested a temporary restraining order to keep the memo from being implemented.

    The memo was slated to take effect at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday. It marks the latest move by the Trump administration to exert control over federal funding, even that which has already been allocated by Congress.

    The funding pause also applies to “other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal,” according to the memo.

    The budget office “may grant exceptions allowing Federal agencies to issue new awards or take other actions on a case-by-case basis,” according to the memo.

    The memo calls on agencies to submit to OMB “detailed information on any programs, projects or activities subject to this pause” by February 10.

    The information that agencies must send to administration leaders is laid out in a spreadsheet obtained by CNN. It lists more than 2,000 programs and requires agencies to document whether each program has any funding related to undocumented immigrants, climate policy, diversity programs or abortion.

    Hundreds of government programs are under review, the document shows, including emergency grain storage assistance for farmers, the Head Start program for preschool education, cancer center support grants and even a program covering the cost of caskets for deceased veterans with no next of kin.

    The agencies are required to provide their responses to the Office of Management and Budget in less than two weeks.

    How much money the federal government could save through the pause was not immediately clear. “It’s certainly well into hundreds of billions of dollars – and in the trillions if grants to state governments are included,” said Brian Riedl, a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute, a center-right think tank.

    Federal grants to state governments topped $1 trillion for the first time in 2022, according to an analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

    “Because the White House can legally pause – but not cancel – this funding, it would not notably reduce the $1.8 trillion budget deficits,” Reidl said. “And ultimately, current spending on targeted ‘DEI’ and foreign aid spending is not large enough to significantly reduce deficits. Recipients may be hit hard, but in terms of deficit reduction, this is more of a gimmick.”

    Word of the White House’s order came Monday evening without further explanation from the Trump administration, leading charities that receive government grants and loans to question which organizations will be affected.

    Some Head Start programs were unable to access the federal system they use to draw down their federal grant funding, which could have forced some to close their doors as early as Wednesday, Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association, told CNN on Tuesday. But by midafternoon, prior to the first hearing in a case challenging the Trump administration’s decision, Head Start programs were able to access their federal funding.

    Head Start serves nearly 800,000 low-income children from birth to age 5 and their families.

    “Some programs that I just spoke with are having the discussions and trying to figure out, are they going to be able to open their programs tomorrow or not?” Sheridan said, adding that if programs shutter, it could affect parents’ ability to work.

    The primary source of federal funding for senior nutrition programs, such as Meals on Wheels, is the Older Americans Act Nutrition Programs, which is a grant. So, if the memo applies to this act, “this would presumably halt service to millions of vulnerable seniors who have no other means of purchasing or preparing meals,” Jenny Young, spokesperson for Meals on Wheels America, told CNN on Tuesday.

    “Seniors will panic not knowing where their next meals will come from,” said Young.

    The Association of American Universities, which is composed of America’s 71 leading research universities, including Notre Dame and Georgia Tech, said Tuesday it is “still working to assess” the impact of the pause.

    Member universities “earn the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for research that improves public health, seeks to address national challenges, and contributes significantly to our economic strength, while educating and training tomorrow’s visionary leaders and innovators,” the association said.

    The pause on federal grants and loans could lead to a “complete pausing of the work” done by local health departments and organizations, such as the National Association of County and City Health Officials, CEO Lori Tremmel Freeman said.

    “These are not just grants for research or things that can be temporarily put on hold, they’re often grants for real activities that are occurring daily,” Freeman said Tuesday.

    Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut – the top Democratic appropriators in Congress – wrote a letter to the White House on Monday night outlining their “extreme alarm” with the idea of a broad pause in grants.

    “The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country,” the lawmakers wrote. “We write today to urge you in the strongest possible terms to uphold the law and the Constitution and ensure all federal resources are delivered in accordance with the law.”

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also quickly criticized the pause.

    “Congress approved these investments and they are not optional; they are the law,” the New York Democrat said in a statement Monday night. “These grants help people in red states and blue states, support families, help parents raise kids, and lead to stronger communities.”

    Schumer added that the action jeopardizes “billions upon billions of community grants and financial support that help millions of people across the country.”

    “It will mean missed payrolls and rent payments and everything in between: chaos for everything from universities to non-profit charities,” he said.

    This story has been updated with additional details.

    CNN’s Phil Mattingly, Samantha Waldenberg, Jeff Zeleny, Manu Raju and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.



    In a recent legal development, a federal judge has blocked part of the Trump administration’s plans to freeze federal aid. The administration had announced its intention to freeze billions of dollars in federal aid, including funds for health care, food assistance, and housing programs.

    However, the judge’s ruling temporarily halts this freeze, ensuring that essential aid continues to flow to those in need. This decision comes as a relief to many individuals and families who rely on these programs to make ends meet.

    While the legal battle is far from over, this ruling is a step in the right direction towards protecting vulnerable communities and ensuring that they have access to the support they need. Stay tuned for further updates on this important issue. #FederalAid #TrumpAdministration #LegalNews

    Tags:

    1. Trump administration
    2. Federal aid
    3. Temporary injunction
    4. Judge ruling
    5. Government assistance
    6. Legal challenge
    7. Freeze on aid
    8. Court decision
    9. Public assistance programs
    10. Government funding

    #Judge #temporarily #blocks #part #Trump #administrations #plans #freeze #federal #aid

  • Federal grant freeze: Trump White House rescinds order


    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s budget office on Wednesday rescinded a memo freezing spending on federal loans and grants, less than two days after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country.

    The memo, which was issued Monday by the Office of Management and Budget, had frightened states, schools and organizations that rely on trillions of dollars from Washington.

    Administration officials said the pause was necessary to review whether spending aligned with Trump’s executive orders on issues like climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

    But on Wednesday, they sent out a two-sentence notice rescinding the original memo. The reversal was the latest sign that even with unified control of Washington, Trump’s plans to dramatically and rapidly reshape the government have limits.

    Administration officials insisted that despite the confusion, their actions still had the intended effect by underscoring to federal agencies their obligations to abide by Trump’s executive orders.

    “The Executive Orders issued by the President on funding reviews remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented by all agencies and departments,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, blaming the confusion on the courts and news outlets, not the administration. “This action should effectively end the court case and allow the government to focus on enforcing the President’s orders on controlling federal spending.”

    The vaguely worded order, legal pause and eventual cancellation left organizations confused and worried again about what might be next.

    Nourishing Hope, which runs foods pantries, home meal delivery and an online food market in Chicago, gets roughly 20% of its food budget comes from the federal government. CEO Kellie O’Connell said the biggest issue when the memo surfaced was getting clear and accurate information so they could figure out how to plan for the coming months.

    If their federal funds were frozen, O’Connell said, they could make it a few weeks. But the wider concern was the possible end of assistance, like food stamps, which would increase demand on her organization.

    President Donald Trump’s budget office on Wednesday rescinded a memo freezing spending on federal grants, less than two days after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country.

    “If that were to significantly diminish or get eliminated, it will be nearly impossible for the charity food system to step up,” she said of food stamps. “It would be potentially catastrophic for our communities.”

    On Tuesday, Trump administration officials said programs that provide direct assistance to Americans, including Medicare, Social Security, student loans and food stamps, would not be affected.

    However, they sometimes struggled to provide a clear picture. Leavitt initially would not say whether Medicaid was exempted from the freeze, but the administration later clarified that it was.

    The White House’s change in direction caught Congress off guard, particularly Trump’s Republicans allies who had defended him throughout the brief saga.

    “This is Donald Trump. He throws hand grenades in the middle of the room, and then cleans it up afterwards,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. “I just think the guy’s a genius.”

    Cramer acknowledged the initial memo may have generated too much political heat, with red and blue states raising alarms over the funding freeze. But the senator suggested Trump “maybe didn’t understand the breadth” of what had been proposed.

    But Democrats said the White House had overreached beyond what Americans want.

    “Most people voted for cheaper eggs,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. “They did not vote for this chaos.”

    The funding pause was scheduled to go into effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday. It was stayed by a federal judge until at least Monday after an emergency hearing requested by nonprofit groups that receive federal grants.

    An additional lawsuit by Democratic state attorneys general was also pending, and a hearing was held Wednesday in federal court in Rhode Island. Chief Judge John J. McConnell said he was inclined to issue an order blocking any attempt at a funding pause, saying there was the possibility of “irreparable harm.”

    After the initial memo was distributed Monday, federal agencies were directed to answer a series of yes or no questions about each program by Feb. 7. The questions included “does this program promote gender ideology?” and “does this program promote or support in any way abortion?”

    Although Trump had promised to turn Washington upside-down if elected to a second term, the effects of his effort to pause funding were being felt far from the nation’s capital. Organizations like Meals on Wheels, which receives federal money to deliver food to the elderly, were worried about getting cut off. Even temporary interruptions in funding could cause layoffs or delays in public services.

    Barbara Teed, 73, of Bloomington, Minnesota, said she felt “panic, absolute panic” when she learned the freeze could affect her.

    Teed lives with her 38-year-old son, Ryan, who has Down syndrome. Both receive meals from Bloomington-Eden Prairie Meals On Wheels.

    “This is sometimes my only meal of the day. So it’s really, really important to me,” said Teed.

    Reynier Prieto, whose 5-year-old son, Liam, attends the Head Start program at Easterseals South Florida, said the program is helping address speech development issues so that Liam can hopefully attend public school next year.

    “It’s the most important thing for our life right now,” Prieto said. “That’s the way that we can go out of our home and work, and we know that he’s in good hands.”

    Losing a program like Head Start could be bad for many families, and government officials should take the time to examine each one that receives federal money, Prieto said.

    “Programs like this, they need to review it and make sure that it’s not cut because this actually helps the community,” Prieto said.

    Democratic critics of the order celebrated the memo’s rescinding.

    “This is an important victory for the American people whose voices were heard after massive pressure from every corner of this country,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington. She said Trump had “caused real harm and chaos for millions.”

    Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said, “Americans fought back and Donald Trump backed off.”

    ___

    Associated Press writers Sophia Tareen in Chicago, Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis, David Fischer in Miami and Michael Casey in Boston contributed to this report.





    The Trump White House has rescinded its order to freeze federal grants, allowing funding to flow once again to a wide range of programs across the country. This decision comes after criticism from lawmakers and advocacy groups, who argued that the freeze would harm vulnerable populations and disrupt essential services.

    The federal grant freeze was initially put in place as part of an effort to review and potentially reallocate funding to align with the Trump administration’s priorities. However, the move caused confusion and uncertainty among grant recipients, many of whom rely on federal funding to support their work.

    With the freeze now lifted, organizations and agencies can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their funding is secure for the time being. This reversal is a positive step towards ensuring that critical services and programs can continue to operate without interruption.

    While the Trump White House has taken a step back from its initial decision to freeze federal grants, the future of funding for these programs remains uncertain. Advocates and stakeholders will continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for the protection of federal grant funding for the benefit of all Americans.

    Tags:

    federal grant freeze, Trump White House, order rescinded, government grants, funding, federal budget, policy changes

    #Federal #grant #freeze #Trump #White #House #rescinds #order

  • Ancestral Supplements Grass Fed Beef Liver 180 Capsules, Supports Energy Production, Detoxification, Digestion, Immunity and Full Body Wellness, Non-GMO, Freeze Dried Liver Health Supplement


    Price: $38.00
    (as of Jan 30,2025 21:41:02 UTC – Details)



    Most customers tolerate our supplements without incident; however, approximately 5 to 10% of customers (usually with an autoimmune condition) may experience a detoxification reaction. Detoxification reactions go by many different names including healing reactions, healing crises, cleansing reactions (or) Herxheimer reactions with hallmark symptoms of nausea, headache, hives, lethargy, dizziness and other flu-like symptoms. In this instance, detoxification reactions are generally an indication that detoxification pathways in the body are back online… cells suddenly have an opportunity to release an even greater than normal quantity of stored toxins, metabolic wastes, pathogens and unwanted material. Lowering the dose to just a 1/2 (half) to 1 capsule per day works for most. As always, we encourage all customers to continue to work with their functional healthcare practitioner to address side effects/tolerability issues. Feel free to reach out to us as well for specific dosing strategies. Our supplement capsules are sealed with a tight lid to ensure product integrity and prevent contamination. If you experience difficulty opening the lid, we recommend the following steps: Ensure hands are dry for a better grip. Use a firm, steady twisting motion to open. Tap the lid on a flat surface to loosen the seal. If you encounter difficulty, please contact our customer support for assistance.
    Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
    Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 2.9 x 2.9 x 5.33 inches; 5.64 ounces
    Date First Available ‏ : ‎ January 16, 2017
    Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Ancestral Supplements
    ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01MSBZYQW
    Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA

    TIME-HONORED LIVER SUPPLEMENT: Grounded in traditional wisdom of ancient practices, our grass fed beef liver supplement is rich in nutrients specific to the liver and can promote liver health, energy production, metabolic health, and full-body wellness.
    100% FREEZE DRIED BEEF LIVER & ORGANS: Freeze-dried to preserve heat-sensitive nutrients, this desiccated liver supplement offers highly bioavailable Vitamin A, B12, CoQ10, Choline, Folate, Hyaluronic Acid, Heme Iron, Copper, Zinc and Chromium.
    WHOLE FOOD NUTRITION SOURCE: Our grass-fed liver health supplement offers nourishment that only whole foods (and whole food supplements) can provide to support the high energy demands of an active lifestyle, plus immune, mood, and joint support.
    NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIAN GRASS FED BEEF: Made in small batches in the USA without GMOs, fillers, or flow agents and third party verified for purity, our supplements are sourced from 100% grass-fed cows, pasture raised without hormones in green fields.
    DENSE NUTRITION FOR HEALTH AND ENERGY: As the founders of the Beef Organ Movement, our mission is to make vital nutrition through the highest possible quality organ consumption accessible for all, putting back in what the modern world has left out.

    Customers say

    Customers find the nutritional supplement effective and containing high-quality ingredients. They report increased energy levels, improved digestion, and a better appetite. Many feel healthier and more alert after using it.

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    Looking to boost your energy, support detoxification, improve digestion, strengthen your immunity, and overall enhance your full body wellness? Look no further than Ancestral Supplements Grass Fed Beef Liver 180 Capsules!

    Made from high-quality, non-GMO, freeze-dried liver, this supplement is packed with essential nutrients that support your body in numerous ways. From providing important vitamins and minerals to supporting optimal liver function, this supplement is a powerhouse for your health.

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  • NKY leaders advocate for Brent Spence Bridge Project amid funding freeze


    COVINGTON, Ky. — Covington leaders are emphasizing the need for government funding for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project amid the Trump Administration’s federal funding freeze.

    A federal judge temporarily halted enforcement of Trump’s freeze until Monday, Feb. 3. The Trump Administration announced Wednesday afternoon that it was rescinding its funding freeze memo.

    The multi-billion-dollar transportation project has three components: the construction of a new bridge along the I-71/I-75 corridor, improvements to the existing bridge and improvements along eight miles approaching both sides of the Ohio River.

    The design for the project has been underway since 2005.

    According to a press release from the City of Covington, the most recent cost estimates were at least $3.6 billion, with the federal government allocating $1.6 billion of that in January 2023.

    “As a route for $2 billion in goods a day and many thousands of workers’ commutes, the Brent Spence Bridge’s impact on local, regional and national commerce cannot be overestimated,” said Covington Mayor Ron Washington in a press release.

    The mayor and others have had conversations with high-ranking staff from the offices of Kentucky Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, as well as the office of Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno. They’ve also talked with leaders at the OKI Regional Council of Governments and regional business groups.

    According to the City of Covington, any delay would raise the project’s construction cost. Even a conservative 1 percent escalation due to a 90-day pause could translate to an increase of $36 million-plus on this project alone.

    “Covington was instrumental in right-sizing the project to mitigate the impact on the region, in pushing federal officials to forgo tolls as a funding mechanism, and in fighting for amenities like nearby bike paths and aesthetic improvements like lighting and sound barriers,” Washington said in a news release. “Given what’s at stake here, I assure our businesses and residents that we will continue to be vocal in moving the project toward the construction phase, and our federal partners share our cautious optimism.”

    The City of Covington said that the Brent Spence Bridge’s daily traffic counts double its original 80,000-vehicle-a-day capacity.

    You can find more details about the project in the video below.

    Brent Spence Bridge project could cause riverfront attractions to close in Kentucky and Ohio





    NKY leaders are pushing for progress on the long-awaited Brent Spence Bridge project, despite a recent freeze on federal funding for the endeavor. The bridge, which connects Covington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, has been a source of frustration for commuters and residents alike due to its outdated design and frequent traffic congestion.

    Local officials, including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and U.S. Senator Rand Paul, have been vocal in their support for the project, touting its potential economic benefits and improved infrastructure. They argue that the bridge is a vital link for the region’s economy and transportation network, and that delays in funding only exacerbate the existing issues.

    Advocates for the project are urging federal lawmakers to release the necessary funds to move the project forward, emphasizing the importance of investing in critical infrastructure projects like the Brent Spence Bridge. They are hopeful that with continued pressure and support from local leaders, progress will be made towards addressing the bridge’s longstanding issues and improving the region’s transportation system.

    Tags:

    • NKY leaders
    • Brent Spence Bridge Project
    • funding freeze
    • Northern Kentucky
    • transportation infrastructure
    • advocacy
    • regional leaders
    • infrastructure funding
    • Kentucky politics
    • Cincinnati traffic

    #NKY #leaders #advocate #Brent #Spence #Bridge #Project #funding #freeze

  • Inside 45 hours of chaos: The brief life and quick death of Trump’s federal spending freeze



    Washington
    CNN
     — 

    The Trump administration’s biggest swing at radically reshaping federal spending lasted just under 45 hours.

    A sweeping freeze on trillions in federal spending for grants and loans, issued Monday night by the White House budget office to federal agencies without fanfare, sparked outrage and confusion – even among fellow Republicans. The impact touched all corners of the country, with state Medicaid funding portals briefly shuttered and programs like Meals on Wheels and Head Start scrambling to figure out if they were about to lose their funding.

    The White House insisted that the confusion was a media-led creation. But on Wednesday the Office of Management and Budget issued a terse two-sentence memo rescinding the directive it had issued just two days prior, and just over 20 hours after a federal judge ordered a halt to the freeze.

    The withdrawal of the federal freeze was a stunning about-face for President Donald Trump’s White House, which has so far pushed the envelope to reshape the federal government, sowing chaos and confusion in firing career civil servants, pausing foreign aid programs and offering federal workers a buyout.

    The episode underscored the risks of a White House adopting the tech-inspired tactic to “move fast and break things” in its effort to remake the federal government with a flurry of actions in its first 10 days.

    Congressional Republicans were privately frustrated they weren’t given a heads up at a decision that stirred a direct deluge of outrage from constituents. The administration received a flood of calls from lawmakers and state officials with questions about its impact on their home states.

    “We were in the dark, like everyone else,” a Republican senator told CNN, speaking of the freeze on the condition of anonymity to avoid alienating the West Wing. “That was unfortunate and unnecessary.”

    In the hours that followed the initial release of the memo on Monday afternoon, CNN spoke to more than a dozen senior officials across five agencies, lawmakers and senior aides to Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. The confusion was universal and answers were non-existent, the officials said.  

    The reversal revived questions of competence – even among the president’s admirers – about the administration’s ability to govern or adequately explain its decisions. The fallout from Monday’s OMB memo was reminiscent of the chaos that often plagued Trump’s West Wing in his first term.

    After the memo was rescinded Wednesday, Trump insisted the biggest reversal of his new administration was no such reversal at all, even as his government scrambled to walk back the funding freeze that showed the first signs of limits on his executive authority.

    “We are merely looking at parts of the big bureaucracy where there has been tremendous waste and fraud and abuse,” Trump said during his first bill-signing ceremony on an unrelated immigration law.

    It was a dizzying series of events that offered a telling window into the new Washington order. The White House dismissed any signs of frustration and blamed the media, rather than accept responsibility, for a wave of backlash from Republicans and Democrats alike.

    “I can’t help it if left-wing media outlets published a fake news story that caused confusion,” Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday.

    thumb 2.jpg

    ‘There is confusion’: Jake Tapper pushes Stephen Miller to explain order to freeze federal aid

    08:20

    But with Wednesday’s reversal, the administration made clear it was not eager to wage a legal fight in this case over the president’s expansive view of executive power in his quest to purge the government of what Trump sees as a “woke” agenda sprinkled throughout it.

    “This action should effectively end the court case and allow the government to focus on enforcing the president’s orders on controlling federal spending,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday. “In the coming weeks and months, more executive action will continue to end the egregious waste of federal funding.”

    Liberal groups had brought the lawsuit against the freeze as part of what they viewed as the best example yet of Trump’s overreach.

    “While we hope this will enable millions of people in communities across the country to breathe a sigh of relief, we condemn the Trump-Vance administration’s harmful and callous approach of unleashing chaos and harm on the American people,” said Skye Perryman, the chief executive of Democracy Forward, one of the groups that filed the legal action.

    The brief saga also created the biggest opening yet for Democrats to try and capitalize on what they saw as a Trump misstep, bringing the opposition party alive in the second week of the administration. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer used the news as a peg to hold his second press conference of the day. “We haven’t won this fight, don’t get me wrong, but see that we can have some real impact,” he said.

    Over Trump’s first 10 days in office, the president has issued an all-consuming blitz of executive orders and actions to remake the federal government, which has amounted to an all-out assault on its workforce.

    But the OMB memo that landed in agency in-boxes at 5 p.m. Monday was dramatically different – because its sweeping implications were a mystery to Trump allies and critics alike.

    Lawyers and federal program managers debated the meaning of paragraphs, sentences and even words in the OMB’s two-page memo.

    One sentence referenced federal financial assistance programs making up 30% of federal government spending in the 2024 fiscal year. Some read that as a marker for what the memo would cover, even as multiple officials were flummoxed by the claim of nearly $10 trillion in government outlays.

    “Only a couple trillion or so off, I guess?” one official told CNN, referencing the actual number – $6.75 trillion – published by the US government.

    Another part of the memo directed federal agencies “to identify and review all federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the President’s policies and requirements.”

    That was read by many officials as an unequivocal statement that the memo applied to every single federal assistance program, with two exceptions outlined in two footnotes: assistance “provided directly to individuals” and benefits for Medicare and Social Security.

    The footnotes made clear the memo intended to capture specific subsections of the code of federal regulations to include financial assistance for grants, loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies, insurance, direct appropriations, food commodities and cooperative agreements.

    “Those were our reference points to the universe of what was affected by the memo,” one senior career agency management official said. “It’s hard not to read that as covering everything except for the specific exemptions.”

    The memo directed “each agency” to conduct a “complete and comprehensive analysis of all of their federal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects and activities that may be implicated by any of the President’s executive orders.”

    As the review took place, the memo stated, federal agencies “must temporarily pause all activities” related to the deployment of “all federal financial assistance” and agency activities that may conflict with Trump’s executive orders.

    Three words – “must temporarily pause” – were in bold.

    In the absence of clarifying or corrective interpretation from the White House, several officials pointed out, the widely shared view was that the freeze was across the board, outside of the exceptions explicitly noted.

    The confusion was exacerbated on Tuesday morning when agencies received a spreadsheet labeled “instructions” that included more than 2,500 programs the administration listed as subject to the review.

    It would be another seven hours before the White House would provide any kind of clarification – another OMB memo formatted as a “Q&A” that expanded the exempted programs. Most officials and lawmakers assumed the clarifications were the result of the escalating public pressure and represented a narrowing of the intent after the fact.

    The White House insisted that wasn’t the case – and attacked the media for reporting accurately the all-consuming confusion across the agency ranks. But the confusion was real, and it wasn’t occurring in a vacuum.

    “It’s understandable given the first week that career officials are going to be cautious about doing something that isn’t aligned with the administration’s intent,” one senior GOP congressional aide who had been in constant conversations with agency officials, told CNN. “It’s not like this White House is taking baby steps – and they certainly aren’t wasting time targeting career folks who aren’t running their plays.”

    While signing his first bill into law Wednesday, Trump defended the spending freeze, saying it was done “for us to quickly look at the scams, dishonesty, waste, and abuse that’s taken place in our government for too long.”

    Trump cited several payments, including the dubious claim of $50 million going to Gaza for condoms, and “more than $40 million that was on its way out the door to the very corrupt World Health Organization.”

    The pause was needed, Trump’s top aides argued Tuesday, because money was still being sent out by career officials in the agencies. Dozens of career officials at the US Agency for International Development were placed on leave Monday over claims they were trying to circumvent Trump’s order freezing almost all foreign assistance.

    And Miller said in the interview with CNN’s Tapper Tuesday that career HHS employees were still trying to push money out to NGOs in the migrant resettlement space.

    The decision was made to clamp down further to ensure alignment with Trump’s policies. It was directed by Trump’s not-yet-confirmed OMB director, Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought, according to Miller and White House officials – raising questions about Vought’s role given that he’s not yet in the job as White House budget chief.

    “OMB, led by Russ Vought, felt it was necessary to protect taxpayer resources to issue clearer guidance establishing for these discretionary grants of funding that are not directed by Congress that they go through a political approval process at the agency.” Miller said.

    Shortly after the White House rescinded the memo – roughly 44 hours after its initial release – the senior Republican aide texted an unsolicited observation.

    It wasn’t Vought – but rather acting OMB Director Matthew Vaeth – who signed the two memos.

    The irony, the aide noted, was that Vaeth – a career OMB staff who has been at the budget office for decades – was simply doing his job and carrying out Trump’s directives: “Kinda runs counter to whole reason Trump’s guys are taking a blow torch to federal workers up and down agency organizational charts, doesn’t it?”

    CNN’s Hadas Gold and Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report.



    In a stunning turn of events, President Trump’s federal spending freeze lasted a mere 45 hours before being swiftly overturned. The controversial move, which aimed to curb government spending in the final days of Trump’s presidency, caused chaos and confusion among federal agencies and lawmakers.

    The freeze, which was announced on Tuesday afternoon, caught many off guard and left agencies scrambling to comply with the sudden halt in spending. The order prohibited federal agencies from spending money on new regulations, contracts, grants, or hiring without approval from the Office of Management and Budget.

    However, the freeze was short-lived as President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration quickly announced that they would be lifting the freeze upon taking office. This decision further added to the chaos as agencies were left unsure of how to proceed with their spending plans.

    The brief life and quick death of Trump’s federal spending freeze serves as a reminder of the tumultuous and unpredictable nature of his presidency. It also highlights the challenges and complexities of transitioning between administrations, particularly in the waning days of a presidency.

    As the country prepares for a new administration, the fallout from Trump’s spending freeze serves as a cautionary tale of the potential consequences of last-minute policy changes. The 45 hours of chaos that ensued will undoubtedly be remembered as a tumultuous end to a tumultuous presidency.

    Tags:

    1. Trump administration
    2. Federal spending freeze
    3. Government shutdown
    4. Political chaos
    5. Trump policy
    6. Fiscal policy
    7. Economic impact
    8. Short-lived decision
    9. Budget crisis
    10. Trump presidency.

    #hours #chaos #life #quick #death #Trumps #federal #spending #freeze

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