STORY UPDATED ON JAN. 29 TO REFLECT COMMENTS FROM NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION AND MORE DETAILS ON THE OMB MEMO
Read full Trump administration OMB memo
HARTFORD — Connecticut’s Democratic majority called Republican President Trump’s surprise Monday night memo from the Office of Management and Budget that paused all federal domestic aid and grants “unlawful” and “life-threatening.”
“It was just last night that we got the first of the executive orders from the White House, OMB at the White House,” said Gov. Ned Lamont. “They were sudden. There was a change of scope. We just got another one a couple of hours ago. I think they are ill-conceived. They are wrong-headed.”
And state Attorney General William Tong announced the state has joined 21 other states in suing the Trump administration to stop the freezing of federal aid and grants that fund everything from Women Infants and Children (WIC) to Head Start to improving highways to healthcare and hospitals to SNAP (food stamps) and many other vital programs.
In fact, during the Democrats press conference late Tuesday federal judge in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocked President Trump’s action via OMB to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to “uproot” progressive initiatives, according to a report from the AP.
The order from U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan came minutes before the funding freeze was scheduled to go into effect at 5 p.m. EST. The administrative stay lasts until Feb. 3 and applies only to existing programs.
The pausing of the funds, even temporarily, affects $14.3 billion in federal money that passes through Connecticut agencies, according to state Comptroller Sean Scanlon. There are about 3,000 state employees who are paid fully or partially by the federal government, Scanlon said. That alone costs about $25 million per month.
Before the funding freeze deadline, the Connecticut Head Start and Medicaid portals were locked out.
Tong was emphatic about the administration’s plan to take on the Trump administration on this action.
“Everybody’s on the same team here in Connecticut,” he said. “We are going on offense. Myself and 21 other state attorneys general are seeking an immediate temporary restraining order against this brazenly unconstitutional and unlawful memorandum.”
Tong went on to explain why the OMB memo, of which there were more than one version after the White House received complaints about the ambiguity of its enforcement and meaning.
“What’s wrong with this memorandum from OMB categorically, unilaterally freezing all federal grants is it’s unconstitutional and lawless on so many different levels,” he added. “It exceeds any reasonable conception of presidential power. It violates the separation of powers. The spending clause says it’s Congress authority to appropriate money and once they’ve done that the money should be paid to the states, nonprofits and all federal grantees.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, whose district includes Stratford and New Haven, went as far as to call Trump’s action an “illegal seizure” of federal funds.
“We are defending Connecticut residents from an illegal seizure of these funds from President Trump,” DeLauro said. “It really is the stealing of appropriated dollars. And understand that the funding for these programs was passed by Democrats, by Republicans in the House, in the Senate and signed into law by President Joe Biden.”
The OMB memo written by Matthew Vaeth, acting director of the agency, explained the reason for its actions.
“Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending “wokeness” and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again,” the memo stated. “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.”
State GOP response
State Republican leaders had a different take on the Trump administration actions.
House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora and Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding released the following statement in response to the Democrats’ press conference:
“It’s no surprise that Connecticut Democrats, showcasing their penchant for theatrics over substance, are raising alarm over President Trump’s common-sense efforts to ensure tax dollars are spent wisely and align with his executive actions,” they wrote. “After all, these are the same individuals who believe taxpayers should foot the bill for placing tampons in boys’ bathrooms in our schools.
“Let’s be clear: the President’s federal funding pause is far from the doomsday scenario Democrats are peddling. Their claims are nothing more than an attempt to gaslight Connecticut residents.
“If Attorney General Tong and other Democrat leaders invested half as much effort into lowering costs for electric ratepayers as they do defending criminal illegal aliens and librarians promoting sexualized content in schools, Connecticut families would be far better off.”
Nonprofit group’s comments
The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) described the harm the freezing of the federal funds would do to many nonprofits that rely on the money.
“Even a short pause in funding could cause significant harm to low-income families and their communities,” said NLIHC Interim President and CEO Renee Willis. “The longer the freeze continues, the greater the risk that low-income households receiving federal rental assistance could face eviction, and in the worst cases, homelessness, homeless shelters may be forced to close their doors, and nonprofit organizations may have to lay off staff.”
Impacted HUD programs include the following: Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers; Project-Based Rental Assistance; Homeless Assistance Grants; Public Housing Operating and Capital Funds; HOME Investment Partnerships Program; Community Development Block Grants; Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities; Section 202 Housing for the Elderly; Housing for Persons with AIDS; Fair Housing; Housing Counseling; Eviction Prevention Grants; the national Housing Trust Fund; Tribal housing programs; and many others.
“If implemented, these executive orders would worsen America’s affordable housing and homelessness crisis by undermining efforts to repair racial and social inequities,” the NLIHC statement said., “weakening HUD’s ability to administer and oversee federal housing investments, putting marginalized people at greater risk of harassment, discrimination, housing insecurity and homelessness, undermining state and local efforts to address housing and homelessness, and harming people at their moments of greatest need.”
