New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing Donald Trump‘s administration following his executive order to freeze all federal funding.
Per MSNBC, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that James was “going to court” to contest the White House’s “illegal” move.
“This administration’s pause on federal funding is reckless and dangerous. Programs in communities across the entire nation depend on this funding to support our families, and this action is only going to hurt them,” James tweeted on Monday (Jan. 27) ahead of news about the lawsuit.
During a press conference held on Tuesday (Jan. 28), James stated, “Not only does this Administration’s new policy put people at risk, but it is plainly unconstitutional.”
In a press release, she reiterated her belief that Trump’s order was “unconstitutional” and also called it “dangerous.”
James added, “Millions of Americans rely on federally funded programs every day to get the health care they need, support their families, and stay safe in their communities. Already, this policy has unleashed chaos and uncertainty, with law enforcement halting drug enforcement efforts, Medicaid portals shutting down, and other critical services being thrown into disarray. Today, I am leading a coalition of attorneys general to uphold the law and ensure that essential services in states across our country can continue.”
Trump’s White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained during their press briefing, “This is not a blanket pause on federal assistance and grant programs from the Trump administration.”
Trump’s decision to halt all federal grants, loans and related assistance— even though Congress has already appropriated the money— could impact “trillions in government spending and halt public programs,” Newsweek reported. Programs like Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, welfare, and direct individual assistance are excluded from the freeze that went into effect on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET.
Leavitt added, “I want to make that very clear to any Americans who are watching at home. It means no more funding for illegal DEI programs; it means no more funding for the green new scam…It means no more funding for transgenderism and wokeness across our federal bureaucracy and agencies, no more funding for green new deal social engineering policies.”
For the lawsuit, James is working with Democratic attorneys generals from California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
Their lawsuit isn’t related to a case filed by a collective of nonprofits and public health advocates who asked a federal judge for an emergency order to block the White House’s policy. MSNBC noted that the judge pushed back the start of the freeze to Monday (Feb. 3) at 5 p.m. ET.
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