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Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump asks US court to end 'judicial overreach' and allow funding freezes
By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration has asked an appeals court to put on hold a U.S. judge's decision forcing it to comply with his order barring it from freezing federal grants, loans and other financial assistance, saying the decision constituted "intolerable judicial overreach." The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late on Monday to put on hold an order that a Rhode Island federal judge issued earlier that day, after finding the administration had defied his January 31 ruling by continuing to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Monday's order marked the first time since Trump returned to office on January 20 that a court had found his administration was violating a court order blocking part of the Republican president's agenda. The Justice Department said U.S. District Judge John McConnell had improperly attempted to wrest power from Trump, whose authority to direct agencies to carry out actions consistent with his policy preferences was "well-settled." "This state of affairs cannot be allowed to persist for one more day," the Justice Department lawyers wrote. "A stay pending appeal is warranted." But a group of Democratic state attorneys general argued that if McConnell's order was paused, Trump "would immediately be free to resume this sweeping and illegal policy," harming those who rely on federal funding. Those Democratic attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia had sued after the White House's Office of Management and Budget issued a memo announcing a freeze that implicated trillions of dollars in spending. OMB later withdrew that memo. But McConnell had concluded that a temporary restraining order was still necessary because of evidence that a funding freeze remained in effect and that OMB's recision of the memo was in "name-only." The Democratic state attorneys general on Friday urged McConnell to enforce that order, saying the administration had taken the position that it could still withhold billions of dollars in infrastructure and environmental funding under the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act. McConnell, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, said on Monday his earlier order was "clear and unambiguous" and barred all categorical pauses or freezes in federal funding.
Reuters
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump asks US court to end 'judicial overreach' and allow funding freezes
BOSTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration has asked an appeals court to put on hold a U.S. judge's decision forcing it to comply with his order barring it from freezing federal grants, loans and other financial assistance, saying the decision constituted "intolerable judicial overreach." The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late on Monday to put on hold an order that a Rhode Island federal judge issued earlier that day, after finding the administration had defied his January 31 ruling by continuing to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding. Monday's order marked the first time since Trump returned to office on January 20 that a court had found his administration was violating a court order blocking part of the Republican president's agenda. The Justice Department said U.S. District Judge John McConnell had improperly attempted to wrest power from Trump, whose authority to direct agencies to carry out actions consistent with his policy preferences was "well-settled." "This state of affairs cannot be allowed to persist for one more day," the Justice Department lawyers wrote. "A stay pending appeal is warranted." But a group of Democratic state attorneys general argued that if McConnell's order was paused, Trump "would immediately be free to resume this sweeping and illegal policy," harming those who rely on federal funding. Those Democratic attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia had sued after the White House's Office of Management and Budget issued a memo announcing a freeze that implicated trillions of dollars in spending. OMB later withdrew that memo. But McConnell had concluded that a temporary restraining order was still necessary because of evidence that a funding freeze remained in effect and that OMB's recision of the memo was in "name-only." The Democratic state attorneys general on Friday urged McConnell to enforce that order, saying the administration had taken the position that it could still withhold billions of dollars in infrastructure and environmental funding under the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act. McConnell, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, said on Monday his earlier order was "clear and unambiguous" and barred all categorical pauses or freezes in federal funding.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration appeals federal judge's order to unfreeze federal funds
The Trump administration is appealing a federal judge's order to unfreeze federal funding in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The motion comes hours after a federal judge from Rhode Island ordered President Donald Trump's administration to unfreeze federal funds once again, claiming the administration did not adhere to his previous order to do so. U.S. District Judge John McConnell filed a new motion Monday ordering the Trump administration to comply with a restraining order issued Jan. 31, temporarily blocking the administration's efforts to pause federal grants and loans. McConnell's original restraining order came after 22 states and the District of Columbia challenged the Trump administration's actions to hold up funds for grants such as the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and other Environmental Protection Agency programs. But the states said Friday that the administration isn't following through and funds are still tied up. "Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful," Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News. "Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people. The Office of Management and Budget released a memo Jan. 27 announcing plans to issue a temporary pause on federal grants and loans. While the White House later rescinded the memo on Jan. 29, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the move didn't equate a "recission of the federal funding freeze." Read On The Fox News App Specifically, McConnell's motion calls for the Trump administration to restore withheld funds appropriated in the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act that passed during the Biden administration in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The motion also calls on the Trump administration to restore funding for institutes like the National Institutes of Health. 'Constitutional Crisis': The Impoundment Act Takes Center Stage After Russel Vought's Confirmation The motion filed Monday asserts that states have provided evidence that there are still instances where the federal government has "improperly" frozen funds and failed to distribute appropriated federal funds. While the motion says the Trump administration claims these actions were done to "root out" fraud, McConnell said that the "freezes in effect now were a result of the broad categorical order, not a specific finding of possible fraud." "The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country," the judge wrote on Monday. Leavitt Pushes Back On Media's 'Uncertainty' About Federal Funding Freeze McConnell said in his original order that evidence suggested the White House's rescission of the OMB memo may have been done in "name-only" in order to "defeat the jurisdiction of the court." As a result, McConnell said Monday that the Trump administration must "immediately restore frozen funding" until the court hears and decides the preliminary injunction request. Click To Get The Fox News App Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha praised McConnell's ruling and said the order "confirmed what we have been saying from the beginning." "It is now time for the Administration to come into full compliance," Neronha said in a statement Monday. "This is a country of laws. We expect the Administration to follow the law. Our Office and attorneys general across the country stand ready to keep careful watch on the actions of this Administration that follow, and we will not hesitate to go back to Court if they don't comply." Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report. Original article source: Trump administration appeals federal judge's order to unfreeze federal funds
Fox News
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump administration appeals federal judge's order to unfreeze federal funds
The Trump administration is appealing a federal judge's order to unfreeze federal funding in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The motion comes hours after a federal judge from Rhode Island ordered President Donald Trump's administration to unfreeze federal funds once again, claiming the administration did not adhere to his previous order to do so. U.S. District Judge John McConnell filed a new motion Monday ordering the Trump administration to comply with a restraining order issued Jan. 31, temporarily blocking the administration's efforts to pause federal grants and loans. McConnell's original restraining order came after 22 states and the District of Columbia challenged the Trump administration's actions to hold up funds for grants such as the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and other Environmental Protection Agency programs. But the states said Friday that the administration isn't following through and funds are still tied up. The Office of Management and Budget released a memo Jan. 27 announcing plans to issue a temporary pause on federal grants and loans. While the White House later rescinded the memo on Jan. 29, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the move didn't equate a "recission of the federal funding freeze." Specifically, McConnell's motion calls for the Trump administration to restore withheld funds appropriated in the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act that passed during the Biden administration in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The motion also calls on the Trump administration to restore funding for institutes like the National Institutes of Health. The motion filed Monday asserts that states have provided evidence that there are still instances where the federal government has "improperly" frozen funds and failed to distribute appropriated federal funds. While the motion says the Trump administration claims these actions were done to "root out" fraud, McConnell said that the "freezes in effect now were a result of the broad categorical order, not a specific finding of possible fraud." "The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country," the judge wrote on Monday. McConnell said in his original order that evidence suggested the White House's rescission of the OMB memo may have been done in "name-only" in order to "defeat the jurisdiction of the court." As a result, McConnell said Monday that the Trump administration must "immediately restore frozen funding" until the court hears and decides the preliminary injunction request. "Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful," Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News. "Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha praised McConnell's ruling and said the order "confirmed what we have been saying from the beginning." "It is now time for the Administration to come into full compliance," Neronha said in a statement Monday. "This is a country of laws. We expect the Administration to follow the law. Our Office and attorneys general across the country stand ready to keep careful watch on the actions of this Administration that follow, and we will not hesitate to go back to Court if they don't comply."
The Hill
10-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
DOJ appeals judge's order to unfreeze federal grants
The Justice Department on Monday appealed a federal judge's order to unfreeze federal grants, hours after the judge ruled that the Trump administration had not complied with his directive. In a short notice, DOJ lawyer Daniel Schwei indicated that the government would appeal U.S. District Judge John McConnell's key orders — the first blocking the White House budget office's order to pause the disbursement of grants and the second directing the government to follow the first order and "immediately" end the funding pause. It marks the second DOJ appeal of a lawsuit challenging major Trump administration actions. Schwei said the Justice Department would seek to pause McConnell's orders pending its appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which would keep the funding freeze in effect. In a memo last month, the Office of Management and Budget told federal agencies to pause the disbursement of grants as the administration assessed its spending to ensure it aligned with President Trump's agenda. The sweeping directive drew quick legal challenges and widespread confusion. Though the memo was later withdrawn, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt cautioned on social media that the administration's rescission only referred to the memo itself, not the entire freeze. McConnell said the reversal was 'in name only," citing her post. "The substantive effect of the directive carries on,' the judge wrote in his initial order. In his new order Monday, McConnell told the Trump administration to "immediately" cease any pauses in federal funding until after he determines whether to indefinitely block the freeze while litigation is ongoing. He pointed specifically to funds appropriated under two laws championed by former President Biden — the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act — and funds intended for institutes and other agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as examples of withheld funds that must be restored. 'The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country,' McConnell wrote. Democratic attorneys general in 22 states and Washington, D.C., challenged the freeze and later said the Trump administration was not complying with the judge's initial command. The coalition is led by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), who has taken Trump himself to court for business fraud and won a multimillion-dollar judgment against him. The government opposed the states' motion to force its abidance, writing in court filings that it had made 'good-faith, diligent efforts' to comply.
