The controversial suspension of subsidies and federal assistance ordered by the government of Donald Trump He did not finally enter into force on Tuesday. At least not totally.
The blockade was imposed by federal judge Loren L. Alikhan and became effective minutes before the Trump directive began to govern officially. The temporary brake will remain until next Tuesday, although it could be extended by the magistrate.
The pause prevents the government from carrying out its plans to freeze the financing of “open awards” already awarded at the federal level, he says A report of the CNN.
As explained by the judge, her decision is “a way to preserve the status quo“While considering the claim against that Trump order filed by a group of nonprofit organizations.
“The Government does not know the complete scope of the programs that will be subject to the pause” of federal assistance, said Alikhan, after dialogue on the subject with a lawyer from the Department of Justice, says the US media.
Judge temporarily blocks part of Trump’s government plans to freeze federal aid https://t.co/who4mqxycm
– CNN in Spanish (@cnnee) January 28, 2025
The order and controversy
The suspension of federal assistance, which includes subsidies, loans and aid granted by the Government, decreed by the White House Budget Office, immediately caused criticism, controversy and confusion in the North American country.
The memorandum of the order pointed out that federal agencies had to “temporarily suspend all activities related to the obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance,” which means, among other things, the stoppage of public programs that benefit millions of Americans, as well as international aid.
The document specifies that the Pause will not affect the benefits of Social Security or those of Medicare, nor includes “assistance provided directly to people”, although media showed that the same “does not clarify whether that includes the money first sent to the states or organizations and then provided to households ”.
The order could delay the disbursement of billions of dollars for various programs, including student loans, and would negatively impact health research, food assistance and financing support for veterans and people with disabilities, among other things, According to press offices.
For this reason, it was criticized strongly by democratic legislators, analysts and both public and private organizations that receive federal subsidies and loans for their work.
Given the avalanche of questions, the White House insisted on defending the decision and said that it was not “a general pause in assistance and federal subsidies programs of the Trump administration.”
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the suspension was more aimed at “democratic priorities” and said that all agencies “could submit a case to the administration to maintain their financing”, if those programs “are necessary and are in line with the President’s agenda, ”says the CNN.
The memorandum of the order had already explained that the pause “will give the administration time to review the agency’s programs and determine the best uses of the funds for those programs in line with the law and priorities of the president.”
He had also charged “the use of federal resources to promote Marxist equity, transgenerism and social engineering policies of the new green pact.”
The Trump administration closes the tap more: suspends subsidies and federal assistance
Brief stop of the Medicaid
This Tuesday, the United States Medicaid government insurance program temporarily lost access to federal payment portals after knowing the Trump administration order.
For several hours, the state agencies of Medicaid could not access federal funds for that program that covers more than 72 million low -income Americans. The fact was confirmed by state departments and generated concern about a possible suspension of the same
However, already in the afternoon, the states began to recover access to the Medicaid financing system.
In this regard, Leavitt pointed out in his networks that the White House was aware of what happened and said that no payment had been affected. For its part, the Office of Management and Budget affirmed in a question and answer session on the order that “mandatory programs such as Medicaid and Snap (food coupons) will continue without pause.”
However, he says CNNthe page of the Department of Health and Human Services for Payment Management Services had notified this Tuesday that “due to decrees related to payments of potentially not allowed subsidies”, it was taking ”additional measures to process payments” and that those revisions could derive in delays or rejections.
According to the television chain, the suspension order reaches more than 2,000 programs, which would go on review to verify whether or not they are aligned to the Trump administration policies. Among these are emergency grain storage assistance for farmers, cancer support subsidies and a program that covers the cost of coffins for deceased veterans without close relatives.
Also some Head Start programs – which serves almost 800,000 low -income children from birth to 5 years and their families – could not access the federal system they use to withdraw their federal subsidy funds, the media points out.
