‘Overstepping its constitutional bounds' Pennsylvania bill urges Trump to unfreeze funds
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A Representative introduced a bill that urges President Donald Trump to unfreeze previously appropriated federal funds.
The bill, authored by Rep. Chris Pielli, argues that the Trump administration has continued to withhold money, against the orders of two federal judges, that Congress already appropriated. Pielli noted that this freeze has caused mass confusion, frustration and uncertainty amongst the millions of Americans who rely on federally funded childcare, food assistance and housing programs as well as those who depend on government grants, such as nonprofits.
On Jan. 27, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum requiring all federal agencies to 'complete a 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…[and] pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders.'
U.S. District Judge Loren Alikhan, Washington D.C., issued a continuance in blocking Trump's administration from freezing grants and loans in February. Since then, numerous nonprofits and cities have filed a lawsuit, led by the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Public Rights Project, calling for the federal funding freeze to be halted.
More recently, President Trump announced that the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) would have its $175 million in federal funding suspended as a result of a transgender student who competed for the school in 2022. At the time of the student's athletic career, the NCAA used a 'sport-by-sport' approach to allowing transgender athletes to participate.
The student in question, Lia Thomas, competed under the NCAA guidelines, which allowed female transgender swimmers who had completed one full year of hormone replacement therapy to compete. However, the NCAA's policy has since changed as a result of Trump's executive order that bans transgender athletes from competing in girl's and women's sports.
'Over $700 million in funding for transportation projects our state critically needs and more are on the line, including infrastructure work for passenger rail service between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg and the development of new passenger routes between Scranton and New York City and between Philadelphia and Reading,' Pielli wrote. 'The funds would have also been used to install electric vehicle charging stations every 50 miles along interstate highways and special transportation corridors and replace the South Bridge on Interstate 83.'
Pielli added that his legislation is meant to send a message to the Trump administration that it is 'overstepping its constitutional bounds.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
14 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Live updates: Israel and Iran trade heavy strikes for a fourth day, with attacks expanding
Israel and Iran exchanged bloody strikes for a fourth day Monday as casualties mounted on both sides and international pleas for diplomacy went unheeded. Iran launched missiles at Israel early in the day, killing at least eight and injuring dozens more, according to the prime minister's office. The attack came after the Israel Defense Forces said it was striking surface-to-surface missile sites in central Iran. In one attack, Israel said, it hit command centers for Iran's Quds Force, the branch of the Revolutionary Guard that coordinates support for proxy forces across the region. The claim could not be immediately verified but would be the latest blow to Iran's military prowess. In Iran, at least 224 people have been killed, local media reported, quoting Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour. The Israeli prime minister's office has reported 24 deaths in total. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that regime change in Iran 'could certainly be the result' of Israel's military campaign. Netanyahu made the remarks on 'Fox News Sunday' after anchor Bret Baier asked if 'regime change' was one of Israel's objectives. 'Clearly, some of these strikes have targeted Iranian leadership, military, nuclear scientists. … So, is regime change part of the effort here?' Baier said. A month ago, President Donald Trump went to the Saudi capital and spoke grandiosely of peace. Before a gathering of Arab leaders, he heralded the 'dawn of a bright new day for the great people of the Middle East.' Fractious conflicts would end, broken fences would mend. Trump decried the past generation of failed U.S. interventions and nation-building projects in the region. He offered 'a new path' to the theocratic regime in Tehran and said he would be 'happy' to forge a deal with Iran to make 'the world a safer place.'
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Trump administration is offering 3 different scenarios for how 'Liberation Day 2.0' may play out
A key deadline in President Trump's trade war is getting closer, with a 90-day pause on his "Liberation Day" tariffs set to expire on July 9. But what will actually happen when the clock strikes midnight on what some are calling "Liberation Day 2.0" is anyone's guess. A series of comments from Trump and his officials this week — even within a 12-hour span on Wednesday — were notable for the variety of scenarios they have on the table. It could be a nonevent with additional deadline extensions in the offing. It might be a day of celebration of long-promised trade deals that have yet to materialize. And it could also be a day when the hammer comes down and tariffs are simply dictated. Trump himself has indicated he is open to all three, telling reporters Wednesday evening that he will be sending letters to tell nations, "This is the deal, you can take it or leave it," but also acknowledging that some deadlines could be extended, and on other fronts, "We're rocking in terms of deals." The scenarios laid out this week by the president, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, but which countries get which outcome will be closely watched by investors, as some outcomes are decidedly more market-friendly than others. As for what will actually happen, Henrietta Treyz of Veda Partners offered a prediction in a Thursday morning note to Yahoo Finance suggesting a combination of all three. "I think this is going to be like a potluck: There's going to be a little bit of everything," she said. On the menu for about 130 nations will be letters, she suggested, "and I'm optimistic their rate will be in the 10-25% range." Other nations may be able to secure limited deals — such as a recent pact with the UK — but with plenty of tariffs staying on or being added. Others may get an extension for now. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet The uncertainty facing markets revolves around which scenario takes center stage in the coming weeks. The divergences were in stark relief Wednesday as the day unfolded. In the morning, during a CNBC appearance, Lutnick suggested the centerpiece would be a flood of new deals. He said that with China tensions on the back burner for the moment, negotiators will able to find areas of agreement on other fronts. "You're going to see deal after deal," he said. "This is going to start coming next week and the week after and the week after." But observers have grown increasingly unmoved by these promises after the administration has been suggesting imminent deals for months now, with only a limited pact with the UK materializing so far. By midday, Bessent was testifying before Congress and offered a somewhat different portrait of the weeks ahead. He indirectly acknowledged the slower pace of deals and said Trump is "highly likely" to push back his deadline for at least some top trading partners. He said the administration is prepared to "roll the date forward" for the 18 major partners that are negotiating in what the administration views as good faith. "If someone is not negotiating, then we will not," Bessent added. During his testimony, the Treasury secretary also floated the notion of regional trade deals, where a group of countries may get similar terms. By the evening, Trump offered a third focus, announcing that he is going to send letters to trading partners in the next one to two weeks to simply set new unilateral tariff rates. The letters are "telling them what the deal is," Trump told reporters Wednesday during a stop at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. But the president's comments also offered a mix of his aides' other messages from the day. The president said he would be willing to extend the deadline for certain nations, "but I don't think we're going to have that necessity." He also suggested that deals could be imminent on at least a few fronts, noting that "we're dealing with Japan, we're dealing with South Korea. We're dealing with a lot of them." Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
G-7 Summit, Fed Rate Decision, Retail Sales: What to Watch This Week
The Federal Reserve headlines the central banks slated to weigh in on interest rates in the coming days. President Trump has turned up the pressure on Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower rates, so far unsuccessfully. Last week saw several economic readings that seemed to support the president's view, though Israel's attacks against Iran have caused a surge in oil prices that could convince the Fed to refrain from cuts for a longer period.
