New York Lawyer Basic Letitia James is main a lawsuit difficult the Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding, she introduced Tuesday — because the White Home order prompted widespread confusion and concern about its potential scale and affect.
Dozens of states, together with New York, have been reporting the Medicaid reimbursement portal was not working Tuesday. A White home spokesperson stated it was anticipated to be again on-line shortly with out affecting funds.
“We will not stand for any illegal policy that puts essential services for millions of Americans at risk, and we worked tirelessly overnight to ensure that that does not happen,” James stated at a press convention Tuesday.
The lawsuit will ask a decide to right away forestall the pause from taking impact, James stated. The Attorneys Basic of California, Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Delaware are additionally plaintiffs.
Trump’s pause, introduced Monday night time in a broad, two-page order, directed federal businesses to “temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance.”
Though the freeze wasn’t slated to take impact till 5 p.m. Tuesday, some organizations noticed a right away affect — no less than 20 states, together with New York, have already reported being frozen out of Medicaid reimbursement portals, James stated.
The director of the Nationwide Head Begin Affiliation stated their grant recipients additionally weren’t capable of obtain reimbursements on Tuesday — though their service was restored shortly after a day steering from the Trump administration specified that Head Begin is exempted from the order.
“This disruption, at best, will slow down Head Start agencies’ ability to pay hundreds of thousands of staff, contractors, and small businesses who support Head Start operations in every corner of the country,” NHSA’s Govt Director Yasmina Vinci stated. “At worst, this means that hundreds of thousands of families will not be able to depend on the critical services and likely will not be able to work.”
New York acquired a median of $11.8 billion in federal grants over every of the previous 5 fiscal years, in response to Metropolis Corridor. Federal help to people is not going to be affected, in response to the memo — so Social Safety, Medicare, meals stamps, scholar loans and scholarships will all be unaffected.
A metropolis Division of Social Providers official, talking anonymously, stated the company remains to be reviewing whether or not a few of its advantages initiatives could possibly be impacted, however doesn’t imagine its key packages, like SNAP, will probably be harmed.
At a press convention addressing the order on Tuesday, Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander stated the the mayor ought to be a part of James’ lawsuit.
“I’m calling right now on Mayor Adams and on the corporation counsel to join those lawsuits or to file New York City’s own,” Lander stated. “This is a violation of the federal government’s promise to New York City and to New Yorkers, and we cannot stand for it when bullies come not just for our lunch money, but for our housing money, and our health care money and our school money.”
Mayor Adams, who has stepped again from the general public eye this week as he’s coping with a medical drawback, stated Tuesday his workplace is assessing “full reach of the administration’s announcement.”
“We are in touch with our federal counterparts as we continue to monitor this situation closely, and we will advocate firmly on behalf of New Yorkers whose lives are impacted by affected programs,” Adams stated.
Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Adams, would solely say the mayor’s workplace is “reviewing our options” when requested if the town will be a part of the swimsuit in search of to dam Trump’s funding freeze.
The memo, written by Matthew Vaeth, the performing director of the federal Workplace of Administration and Price range, particularly known as out “DEI, woke gender ideology and the Green New Deal” as areas wherein the White Home has made it clear it desires to stamp out funding.
Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries, New York Metropolis’s prime Democrat in Congress, excoriated Trump’s transfer in a letter to fellow Democratic lawmakers wherein he urged them to attend an “emergency meeting” set for Wednesday.
“Republicans are ripping off hardworking Americans by stealing taxpayer dollars, grants and financial assistance as part of their corrupt scheme to pay off billionaire donors and wealthy corporations,” Jeffries wrote within the letter, which promised a “forceful response” to the order.
“The Republican Rip Off will raise the cost of living for the working class, while hurting children, seniors, veterans, first responders, houses of worship and everyday Americans in need.”
“We are into governing, not panicking,” Gov. Hochul stated in response to the directive. “And as I said, I’m not playing whack-a-mole with every single initiative that comes out of Washington. I have to govern a state and find more ways to make New York more affordable and safer.”
Initially Printed: January 28, 2025 at 4:01 PM EST
