By Jennifer Shutt | AZ Mirror
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will temporarily stop payments on multiple federal programs Tuesday evening, cutting off Americans who rely on what could be trillions in funding and likely setting off a legal challenge over Congress’ constitutional spending authority.
The two-page memo from the Office of Management and Budget announcing the freeze appeared to apply to all federal financial assistance, including grants and loans, though it wasn’t immediately clear which specific programs. A memo footnote said it should not be “construed to impact Medicare or Social Security benefits” but did not mention Medicaid.
“Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending ‘wokeness’ and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again,” the OMB memo states.
A separate memo from OMB lists off the programs that will be paused temporarily while it reviews which federal spending it deems appropriate.
The list of programs affected includes the Department of Agriculture’s tribal food sovereignty program, Head Start, the Veterans’ Affairs Department’s suicide prevention and legal services grants, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance, or LIHEAP, program, and numerous sexual assault prevention programs within the Department of Justice.