A federal judge extended block on the Trump administration's freezing of federal funds

Judge Loren L. AliKhan extended the Trump administration's federal funding freeze blockade. The magistrate relied on affidavits from nonprofits that alleged they could eventually close due to funding problems. In this context, she ordered all federal agencies to "release any disbursements" they had previously frozen.

When the White House released the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo, which dictated a freeze on "all federal financial assistance," it was blocked by the courts. The Trump administration subsequently announced that it was rescinding that memo.

AliKhan, who was nominated by Joe Biden to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, cited statements by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who stated that the announced annulment applied only to the memo and not to the idea of freezing federal funding.

"The declarations and evidence presented by Plaintiffs paint a stark picture of nationwide panic in the wake of the funding freeze. Organizations with every conceivable mission — healthcare, scientific research, emergency shelters, and more — were shut out of funding portals or denied critical resources beginning on January 28," the judge wrote in a 30-page ruling.

"Each day that the pause continues to ripple across the country is an additional day that Americans are being denied access to programs that heal them, house them, and feed them. Because the funding freeze threatens the lifeline that keeps countless organizations operational, Plaintiffs have met their burden of showing irreparable harm," AliKhan added.

The case was brought to her by charities and other non-governmental organizations that rely, at least in part, on federal grants to operate. The hearing lasted just over 90 minutes.

Alikhan's ruling came hours after the Department of Justice (DOJ) told a federal judge in Rhode Island that it understood that his order, similar to the DC judge's, applied to all spending nationwide. Thus, at least until further judicial developments, the initiative to pause federal spending for review will be held up.