Judge extends block on Trump administration’s plan to freeze federal aid

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) – A US federal judge continued to block President Donald Trump’s administration from freezing federal financial assistance, issuing a preliminary injunction Tuesday against an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directive.

The directive, known as Memorandum M-25-13, sought to pause all federal grants, loans and other financial aid under open awards while agencies reviewed compliance with recent executive orders.

The freeze, first issued on Jan. 27, targeted programs related to foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and environmental efforts. Nonprofit coalitions argued that the pause would cause irreparable harm to organizations providing essential services.

In her ruling, Judge Loren AliKhan said that “in sum, plaintiffs have marshalled significant evidence indicating that the funding freeze would be economically catastrophic -- and in some circumstances, fatal -- to their members.”

She ordered the OMB to provide written notice to all affected agencies, instructing them to resume disbursements under open awards and refrain from reinstating the freeze under any name.

The judge also required the defendants to file a status report by Friday detailing their compliance with the injunction. The parties must submit a joint status report proposing next steps in the case by the same date.

The injunction follows a temporary restraining order issued on Feb. 3 which initially blocked the freeze. Plaintiffs argued that the pause would disrupt life-saving services and harm communities reliant on federal funding.