White House will defend Trump’s funding freeze in court

The White House said on Wednesday it was prepared to fight in court after a US judge temporarily blocked part of the Trump administration’s sweeping directive to pause federal loans, grants and other financial assistance.

“Everything this administration does is within the confines of the law, so we’re prepared to fight this battle in court,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters outside the White House.

US District Judge Loren AliKhan’s ruling on Tuesday was a win for advocacy groups who said the funding pause would be devastating for tens of millions of Americans who depend on the money for essential services. She will revisit the issue on Monday.

The Trump administration faces another legal challenge from Democratic state attorneys general. In a separate lawsuit, they argue that the freeze violates the US Constitution and would have a devastating effect on states that rely on federal aid for a substantial portion of their budgets. A federal judge in Rhode Island will consider their request to block the freeze at 3 p.m. Eastern time (2000 GMT).

Trump’s order sowed chaos throughout the government on Tuesday and appeared to disrupt payments for medical and child-care providers. It was one of several dramatic attempts to overhaul the federal government since he took office on January 20.

Democrats said it was an illegal assault on Congress’ authority over federal spending, while Republicans largely defended it as fulfilling Trump’s campaign promise to rein in the $6.75 trillion federal budget.