Judge extends block on Trump’s funding freeze
U.S. District Judge john McConnell Jr. has extended a temporary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to implement a funding freeze on federal grants and loans. this decision comes amid increasing criticism from Trump’s allies, including calls for impeachment from figures like Elon Musk.McConnell’s ruling emphasized that Trump’s actions undermine Congress’s constitutional authority over spending and highlighted the harmful impacts of the funding freeze on state operations. Despite the pressure for McConnell’s removal and accusations of partisan bias, the prospects of impeachment remain slim due to the difficulty of overturning a judge’s position. Trump’s administration continues to assert that it will comply with court orders while aiming to maintain its policies in the long run.
Judge facing MAGA impeachment extends block on Trump funding freeze
A federal judge facing mounting calls for impeachment from allies of President Donald Trump, including from Elon Musk, has extended a block on the administration’s efforts to freeze federal grants and loans.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, indefinitely barring the Trump administration from implementing a sweeping funding pause. The decision follows a similar preliminary injunction last month from another federal judge, both stemming from lawsuits by Democratic attorneys general challenging Trump’s now-rescinded directive to federal agencies to halt grant and loan disbursements.
McConnell, an appointee of former President Barack Obama based in Rhode Island, ruled in a 45-page order that Trump’s across-the-board freeze “fundamentally undermines” Congress’s constitutional authority over spending.
His order does not prevent agencies from restricting funding on a case-by-case basis under existing laws but emphasizes that freezing funds stemming from already-enacted laws flies against a president’s constitutional duty to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” The case known as New York v. Trump is backed by 22 Democratic-led states.
“The States have introduced dozens of uncontested declarations illustrating the effects of the indiscriminate and unpredictable freezing of federal funds, which implicate nearly all aspects of the States’ governmental operations and inhibit their ability to administer vital services to their residents,” McConnell added.
McConnell’s series of unfavorable rulings against Trump has intensified scrutiny of the judge from the president’s allies, who accuse him of partisan bias. Musk called for McConnell’s impeachment in a Feb. 12 post on X, citing a 2021 interview in which the judge appeared critical of Trump’s first term. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) announced plans last month to draft impeachment articles, labeling McConnell “a partisan activist weaponizing our judicial system.”
/1🚨BREAKING — FEDERAL JUDGE McCONNELL MUST RECUSE HIMSELF IMMEDIATELY.
AFL has uncovered a major potential conflict of interest for Judge John McConnell, Chief Judge of the federal district court of Rhode Island, who halted President Trump’s temporary spending freeze.
READ ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/mDEBDxd5hX
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
Conservative groups such as America First Legal have also questioned McConnell’s impartiality due to his past Democratic donations and his daughter’s former role at the U.S. Department of Education, which Trump aims to dismantle.
Despite the loud demands for the removal of judges like McConnell, the prospects of impeaching him, let alone any judge, are slim given the stringent requirements. While a simple majority is needed in the House to introduce articles of impeachment, a vote by two-thirds majority in the Senate is required for removal.
Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, previously denounced McConnell and other judges blocking Trump’s executive actions as “judicial activists.”
McConnell’s ruling marks another setback for Trump’s major federal grant fund freeze, and it comes one day after the Trump administration faced a temporary loss at the Supreme Court to freeze $2 billion in foreign aid.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS EYE IMPEACHMENT FOR JUDGES WHO BLOCK DOGE
Late last month, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, blocked Trump’s funding freeze in response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of nonprofits. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) filed a separate lawsuit but has not yet requested an immediate injunction after the administration agreed to unfreeze some funding for the state.
The White House has vowed to comply with court orders but maintains that Trump’s policies will be upheld in the long run.
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