The White House released a memo condemning "wokeness" and instructing federal funding to be temporarily suspended until it can be brought into line with the values of President Donald Trump. This decision has prompted widespread outrage among Democrats.
The White House is poised to halt federal grants and loans in the US on Tuesday evening in a far-reaching move that has the potential to severely impact education, healthcare, as well as programs for housing assistance, disaster relief, and other crucial services.
The US government's budget management office stated that the freeze is "temporary," and was implemented to guarantee that all expenditure complies with executive orders issued by President Donald Trump.
(DEI).
In a message addressed to government departments on Monday afternoon, the White House stated that public officials have "a responsibility to ensure that federal spending and actions align with the will of the American people, as reflected through presidential priorities."
A memo stated the goal of removing "wokeness" and the politicization of government among other objectives.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that the freeze is not a "blanket" block on spending, and is intended to make sure that "every single dollar that is being spent does not contradict the executive orders and actions that this president has taken."
She stated that welfare programs and food aid would not be affected.
Medicaid payment disruptions reported
New York Attorney General Letitia James stated that twenty states, including New York, had been barred from accessing Medicaid reimbursement programs.
Many people reported that websites were inaccessible in all states.
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We have confirmed that no payments have been affected; they are still being processed and sent," she said. "We anticipate that the portal will be back online shortly.
Over 70 million individuals receive healthcare coverage through Medicaid, a joint program funded by both United States federal agencies and state governments.
Concerned organizations in multiple states and non-profit groups are taking legal action
The New York state attorney general stated that she, along with a group of state attorneys-general, intend to file a lawsuit as a response.
Simultaneously, a cluster of non-profit organisations submitted a lawsuit on Tuesday, asserting that the federal budget office's announcement was "disclosed to the public exclusively through media coverage, with just a span of twenty-four hours' notice.
The plaintiffs comprise the National Council of Nonprofits, the American Public Health Association, small business network Main Street Alliance and SAGE, a New York organization providing support to the LGBTQ community.
They slammed the order as being "without any legal basis or the slightest logical justification," noting that a funding freeze would have a "catastrophic impact on hundreds of thousands of grant recipients."
Democrats accuse Trump of "downright dishonesty"
implied that the Trump administration is cheating working individuals in America.
"The Republican plan will inflate living costs for the lower-income population, while having a detrimental impact on children, elderly citizens, veterans, emergency service workers, places of worship and ordinary Americans in need," the New York official stated.
US Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, stated that Medicaid online portals were inaccessible in all states.
This is a blatant attempt to abruptly deprive millions of Americans of their health insurance and it will undoubtedly result in people losing their lives.
Senator Angus King from Maine stated that the funding freeze was "a profound constitutional issue."
"The events of last night constitute the most unambiguous challenge to Congress' authority in the history of the United States," King said.
zc/wmr (AP, Reuters, AFP)