A temporary restraining order pauses the Trump administration’s effort to withhold billions in federal welfare funds as states challenge the move in court.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from freezing roughly $10 billion in federal welfare funding for five Democratic-led states, issuing a two-week restraining order that keeps money flowing while legal arguments proceed.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, granted an emergency request from California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Minnesota, halting the administration’s suspension of funding tied to childcare and social services programs. The order pauses the freeze until both sides submit additional filings and the court considers whether the funding halt should remain in place.
Earlier this week, President Trump sent letters to the five states notifying them that federal funds would be cut, with a Jan. 20 deadline attached. The administration said the action was prompted by what it described as widespread fraud and waste in state-run welfare programs.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, joined by the other Democratic attorneys general, filed suit against the Trump administration and sought an emergency injunction to stop the cuts. Judge Subramanian’s order prevents the freeze from taking effect for at least two weeks.
According to Politico, a federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from freezing $10 billion in welfare funds earmarked for the five states. In response to the states’ request for emergency relief, Subramanian ordered that funding from three programs — the Child Care Development Fund, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Social Services Block Grants — must continue to flow to the states.
His decision, which expires in two weeks, was intended to give both sides time to submit more extensive legal arguments on whether the cuts should be allowed or the ban kept in place, the judge wrote. Earlier in the week, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Minnesota received letters from the federal Department of Health and Human Services notifying them of the cuts, with California expected to receive about half of the $10 billion in targeted funding.
Politico reported that the attempt to withhold the funds came in response to what the Trump administration has alleged, without providing evidence in court filings to date, is widespread fraud and waste in the states’ welfare programs. Alongside the proposed funding cuts, administration officials have also requested large amounts of documentation from the states detailing how the programs are administered, an effort officials say is aimed at supporting claims of mismanagement.
Judge Subramanian’s temporary restraining order leaves the funding in place for now, setting the stage for further court proceedings that will determine whether the Trump administration can proceed with the welfare funding freeze.
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