The judge ordered a brief administrative stay on portions of the freeze.
A federal judge temporarily blocked part of President Donald Trump’s directive to pause federal loans, grants, and other financial assistance on Jan. 28, hours after advocacy groups and several Democratic state attorneys general filed lawsuits against the administration.
During a Tuesday afternoon hearing in Washington federal court, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan granted a “brief administrative stay,” ordering the Trump administration to refrain from blocking “open awards,” or funds that had been slated for disbursement, until at least Feb. 3.
AliKhan made her temporary ruling after hastily scheduling a video conference one hour before the freeze was to take effect at 5 p.m. ET.
The judge said the ruling will “maintain the status quo” and does not prevent the Trump administration from suspending funds for new programs, nor does it require resuming expired funding.
Another hearing is scheduled for Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. ET, where AliKhan will determine the next steps for the case.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum on Monday, directing all federal agencies to pause grants, loans, and other financial assistance while the administration reviews the programs.
The lawsuit was filed by the National Council of Nonprofits, the American Public Health Association, Main Street Alliance, and SAGE, a New York LGBT nonprofit, with the advocacy groups arguing Trump’s plan would “have a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of grant recipients.”
Before AliKhan granted a temporary restraining order on portions of the freeze, which the plaintiffs were seeking, a group of Democratic state attorneys general led by New York Attorney General Letitia James announced they were also suing the Trump administration on Tuesday.
By Jacob Burg
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