A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s funding freeze for numerous grant and aid programs, but Chicago-area nonprofits and residents remain hugely concerned, as Natalie Martinez reports.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s funding freeze for numerous grant and aid programs, but Chicago-area nonprofits and residents remain hugely concerned.
Lynda Schueler, CEO of the Oak Park-based emergency shelter Housing Forward, says that while beds will be full Tuesday night, she is concerned that interruptions in federal funding could spell disaster for those experiencing homelessness in the Chicago area.
“It’s very distressing, knowing lives at stake, employees that service our clients. Very distressing hearing in morning that this happened overnight,” she said.
The freeze was ordered Monday night by the Office of Management and Budget, and had been set to go into effect Tuesday, but it was paused by a federal judge just before its implementation.
That order preventing the freeze from going into effect is only valid until Feb. 3, leaving officials like Schueler in a difficult position.
“We have rent due on February 1st,” she said. “We have about $500,000 going out the door on Saturday to pay all our landlords to support all those households, or our scattered site housing program.”
Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is one of dozens of lawmakers blasting the short-notice move.
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“This freeze, which by the way is unconstitutional and illegal, affects numerous programs, everything from Head Start for kids to Meals on Wheels for seniors,” he said.
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The Trump administration has said the freeze will not impact programs like Medicare and Social Security, along with student loans and Pell Grants, among others. NBC News has not yet been able to verify a full list of programs impacted by the freeze.
“Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, welfare, assistance going directly to individuals will not be affected by this pause,” White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt said.
The full scope of the administration’s review was spelled out in a 51-page spreadsheet sent to federal agencies, according to the Associated Press.
Officials were directed to answer a series of yes or no questions for every item on the list, including “does this program promote gender ideology?” or “does this program promote or support in any way abortion?”
“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” wrote Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, in a memo distributed Monday.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun applauded the move to freeze government spending.
“I applaud President Trump’s direction to pause government spending, fulfilling his campaign promise to rein in out-of-control government,” he said. “This level of fiscal discipline is exactly the kind of leadership we need in Washington, DC and is in line with the values of Hoosiers and the American people who elected him.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker had a much different outlook.
“While entirely unconstitutional in its disregard of Congressional budget authority, this order will be devastating for Illinoisans if it is allowed to remain in effect,” he said in a statement. “From programs that support veterans, to those that help keep communities safe, to the healthcare, meals, and childcare working families rely on to make ends meet – this order makes life more expensive and less safe for people across Illinois.”
Illinois is one of at least 22 states that have sued the Trump administration over the freeze. A judge will hear arguments Monday for a temporary restraining order that would halt the freeze for at least two more weeks, according to state officials.