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US federal agencies are expected to freeze the payment of hundreds of billions of dollars in national federal subsidies and loans on Tuesday in the last aggressive decision by President Donald Trump to reduce and revise public spending.
The break of federal financial aid – which should take effect at 5 p.m. in Washington – could compromise a wide range of funding, from scientific and medical research to small businesses, food aid and education Early childhood.
The Order of the White House would reach communities across the country which strongly depend on the support of the government and immediately sparked a reaction from the Democrats.
Opposition legislators exploded it as an illegal takeover by Asset This challenged the constitutional role of the legislators in the approval of expenses and warned that it would potentially harm the American economy.
“The freezing of federal funding which has already been allocated by the Congress is unconstitutional; Above all, it’s inhuman, “said Dick Durbin, the Democratic Senator of Illinois.
Two senior democrats, Patty Murray and Rosa Delauro, wrote to Matthew Vaeth, acting director of the budget management office, saying: “The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented and will have devastating consequences across the country. “”
Trump’s decision was announced in a note By Vaeth on Monday which marked the last in a series of executive actions of the president to force the public service and government agencies to align with its policies.
This comes after Trump ordered new funding for clean energy projects. The State Department also began to implement a break on practically all foreign aid while waiting for an examination of the question of whether to adhere to the plans of the Trump administration.
Vaeth’s memo highlighted the problems with the conservative button, saying: “The use of federal resources to advance Marxist actions, transgender and green policies of New Deal social engineering is a waste of Dollars of taxpayers who do not improve the daily life of those we serve.
The Trump administration has told agencies to submit information on their subsidies and their Blanche Maison by February 10, which means that many programs will be in limbo up to at least then. The White House said that the United States spent 3 TF dollars in the 2024 financial assistance, but we don’t know how much that would ultimately be reduced.
Although the order does not cover government’s retirement programs or health care for the elderly, it represents Trump’s most daring attempt to date to reduce the size of national federal spending, and center it exclusively on Priorities defended by ideological conservatives.
On Tuesday, Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary of the White House, told journalists that the order did not constitute a “general break”, claiming that it would not affect individuals, including social benefits.
A radical redesign of the federal government has long been sought by Russell Vought, the choice of Trump to be director of the Budget of the White House, and the authors of Project 2025, a plan for the reuniting republican administration gathered in recent years by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative thought -Resser.
Trump moved away from the 2025 project during the electoral campaign against Joe Biden and Kamala Harris last year, because many of his prescriptions were too controversial, but some of his policies appear in his first executive actions.
Trump separated Elon Musk, billionaire technology, to have reduced public spending within the framework of the “Ministry of Government” newly created to eliminate waste, fraud and abuses in federal operations, but the decision This week goes beyond this effort.
Sawyer Hackett, a democratic strategist, said that his party was to establish a marker after the Blitz of the Trump administration decrees during last week and take a position on the freeze.
“The Democrats of the Senate must say:” There will be no democratic vote to consider or confirm Trump’s candidates until the freezing of reckless financing is reversed, “he said.” is not a fait accompli.
Jeff Merkley, the main democrat of the Senate budget committee, promised to delay an audience to confirm Vought “until we answer these questions and solve this constitutional crisis”.
