Trump Backtracks on Funding Pauses To The Tune of Trillions of Dollars

President Trump threatened funding to programs that support tens of millions of Americans. Within 24 hours he had backed away from trillions, and now this move is temporarily blocked in court.

The administration, yesterday, issued a memo to pause funding for most Federal grant and loan programs. 

Public outcry was swift, as tens of millions of Americans who rely on those programs panicked. Lawsuits were filed immediately, and today a Federal judge blocked the action temporarily. The order was meant to go into effect today at 5:00 p.m. but has been postponed until next Monday, February 3, while the judge reviews the case to make a decision.

The order was meant to pause $3 trillion in funds, excepting only Social Security, Medicare, Defense, and some Veterans Programs. However, throughout the day, administration officials released piecemeal statements that the pauses would not affect SNAP, Medicaid, and other benefits, thus reducing the amount impacted by trillions of dollars, in defiance of Trump's executive order which wasn't even a day old. 

Despite the clarity of the memo in which only a few funds were spared, the muddling of the order by Trump's administration, and their refusal to list the funds actually affected, have kept Americans anxious over whether their children will be able to attend school, their elderly friends and neighbors will receive meals, etc...

Unless the move is permanently blocked by the courts, the pauses in the remaining funding will cut many programs that impoverished and vulnerable Americans depend on every day, such as early intervention programs for toddlers and preschoolers, meals for the elderly, and the YMCA, which not only runs programs for youth, but also domestic and sexual violence housing programs, and more. 

In other news, Kansas has reported the largest tuberculosis outbreak since the government started tracking the disease in 1950. Most cases, although contagious, are not yet showing symptoms. There is no Federal guidance on this issue due to Trump's gag order on all agencies that normally issue orders on public safety. The Department of Health and Human Services has removed its news feed from its website. 

Tuberculosis is treatable with modern medicine, with a round of antibiotics lasting months.