An Obama-appointed judge is once again meddling in the affairs of a duly elected president. U.S. District Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island lashed out at President Trump on Monday, accusing him of disregarding a court order that blocked his temporary freeze on federal funding.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, McConnell’s order last month came in response to a lawsuit brought by 22 Democrat state attorneys general and Washington, D.C.—the usual suspects who seem more interested in obstructing Trump than serving their own constituents.
Their gripe? The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) temporarily halted grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs while reviewing how federal funds were being distributed.
The Trump administration had a clear mandate: stop the reckless flow of taxpayer money into bloated and potentially wasteful programs.
🚨 BREAKING: Rhode Island Judge John McConnell Jr. (Obama in 2011), has BLOCKED the Trump Admin’s Federal Funding Freeze, requiring immediate restoration of all paused funds.
This ruling follows a lawsuit by 22 Democratic states and D.C., marking a significant setback for… pic.twitter.com/im0CmV1DvV
— Publius (@OcrazioCornPop) February 10, 2025
Dennis Quaid’s #1 Warning for Americans
As the OMB explained, “The American people elected Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar.”
OMB noted that of the nearly $10 trillion spent by the federal government in the 2024 fiscal year, over $3 trillion was allocated to grants and loans. The administration’s pause was meant to ensure these funds were being used effectively and in alignment with the President’s policies.
“This temporary pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President’s priorities.”
The directive also required agencies to identify legally mandated deadlines for financial assistance programs and report back to the OMB.
Despite the administration’s efforts to ensure taxpayer dollars were being spent wisely, Judge McConnell ruled that Trump’s actions violated his court order and ordered the immediate restoration of frozen funding.
“The States have presented evidence in this motion that the Defendants in some cases have continued to improperly freeze federal funds and refused to resume disbursement of appropriated federal funds.”
The lawsuit’s plaintiffs—a coalition of blue-state officials—claimed that despite McConnell’s January 31 order temporarily halting the OMB directive, federal funds were still on hold.
Meanwhile, Justice Department lawyers pushed back, arguing that some of the funding in question was under review for compliance, fraud prevention, and other legal considerations.
McConnell dismissed the administration’s concerns, accusing the Trump team of implementing “a broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds” that he deemed unconstitutional and harmful.
Adding to the political interference, Judge Loren AliKhan, a Biden appointee, issued a temporary stay on Trump’s plan, further obstructing efforts to control the runaway federal spending Democrats seem so eager to protect.
With Trump aiming to restore fiscal sanity and the left weaponizing the courts against him, the battle over taxpayer dollars is far from over.
Read the full article here
