A federal judge found on Feb. 10 that President Donald Trump’s administration has failed to fully abide by the judge’s earlier order to unfreeze all federal funding.
Judge John McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island previously ruled against an executive order Trump issued in January, which called for a sweeping federal funding freeze to root out fraud.
On Feb. 10, the judge announced that 22 states and the District of Columbia that filed for a temporary restraining order against the funding freeze presented evidence showing that Trump’s staff “in some cases have continued to improperly freeze federal funds and refused to resume disbursement of appropriated federal funds.”
The Justice Department argued that McConnell’s ruling did not apply to other pauses in spending, such as those that are part of former President Joe Biden’s climate, health care, and tax package. The judge disagreed.
“The Defendants must immediately take every step necessary to effectuate the [temporary restraining order], including clearing any administrative, operational, or technical hurdles to implementation,” McConnell ordered.
Defendants must also restore funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act, as well as funding of institutes and other agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, according to the order.
However, McConnell made clear that the administration can request “targeted relief” from the temporary restraining order “where they can show a specific instance where they are acting in compliance with this Order but otherwise withholding funds due to specific authority.”
McConnell, nominated by former President Barack Obama, was not the only judge to push back on the spending freeze. A judge in Washington State also issued a temporary restraining order expressing concerns that some nonprofit groups would not get their funding.
“This is a country of laws. We expect the administration to follow the law,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to go back to court if they don’t comply.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, continues its audits of government agencies and departments seeking to identify wasteful spending that should be cut.
This includes a reported $59 million spent by FEMA on housing illegal immigrants in New York City. Acting FEMA administrator thanked DOGE for bringing the funding to his attention and announced all such payments were suspended as of Feb. 9.
