A federal judge in Rhode Island has placed a temporary restraining order on the Trump administration's planned freeze on federal funds and grants, after a coalition of state Attorneys General sued to block the White House's decision.
Under the new order, disbursement of federal funds to the states must continue while the case proceeds. The judge held that states were likely to suffer irreparable harm if funding was cut off.
"Defendants shall not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate Defendants’ compliance with awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the States, and Defendants shall not impede the States’ access to such awards and obligations," Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. wrote in the order.
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The judge also ruled that the White House's withdrawal of the memo from the Office of Management and Budget that announced the freeze will not change the court's jurisdiction or decision in the case. It likewise prohibits the White House from putting the memo back into effect.
"The evidence shows that the alleged rescission of the OMB Directive was in name-only and may have been issued simply to defeat the jurisdiction of the courts. The substantive effect of the directive carries on," the order read.
The restraining order goes into effect right away and will remain in effect indefinitely, until the court orders otherwise. The judge has directed the state plaintiffs to bring evidence to support their request for a preliminary injunction to a future hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
