The White House claims it has paused spending to ensure it aligns with Convicted Felon #47's priorities. A federal judge reminded Trump that spending is Congress's authority; he pays the bills.
Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the Federal District Court for the District of Rhode Island has ruled that the Trump Administration's attempt to circumvent a compliant Congress is a case of executive overreach. The government is told to keep the money flowing so agencies like a fully funded FEMA can prepare for the next disaster. States Attorneys General are leading the charge, as the Republican Congress doesn't much care that its authority has been stripped.
The ruling, which builds on the judge's temporary order instructing the government to keep the money flowing, sets up a broader clash between Democratic states' attorneys general over the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul spending to align with the president's agenda.
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Judge McConnell wrote that without the injunction, "the funding that the states are due and owed creates an indefinite limbo."
"Here, the executive put itself above Congress," he wrote. "It imposed a categorical mandate on the spending of congressionally appropriated and obligated funds without regard to Congress's authority to control spending."
NYTimes
It does seem some House Republicans are asking Elon if they can play a role:
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) reportedly met with Musk for over an hour and recommended that the cuts be processed as "rescission packages." Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) is also reportedly on board with the plan.
According to McHardy, "A rescission package rescinds previously approved funding and requires only a simple majority vote in both the GOP-controlled Senate and House."
Musk answered in the affirmative when asked whether he supported rescission packages, McHardy wrote. "He was also asked whether Congress should have a vote on DOGE's cuts, to which he replied, 'Well, they do have a vote on it,'" McHardy added.
RawStory
Previously:
• Judge aghast, blocks Trump's order on birthright citizenship
• Judge trashes Trump DOJ's ridiculous assertion about trans people
