“The chaos is the point”: Dems slam Trump WH for federal funding freeze
Although the president’s spokesperson attempted to downplay the impact, critics accused him of trying to unilaterally determine who receives congressionally approved resources and who does not.

Hill Democrats have seized on what they view as an instance of extreme overreach from the executive branch that violates the constitutional separation of powers at the expense of everyday Americans.
It started when the Trump administration issued a memo on Monday night announcing a federal funding freeze on grants and loans appropriated by Congress to ensure the investments match the administration’s policy priorities and avoid funding programs it considers unnecessary.
Federal agencies will stop issuing new awards, pause payments under existing ones and review their programs to see if they meet the new priorities. (Agencies may request exceptions on a case-by-case basis.)
The freeze is the latest controversial move from President Donald Trump, who has taken swift, assertive and, in some cases, unconstitutional actions to overhaul the federal bureaucracy. And it has provided Democrats with a cause to rally around as they continue to search for a path forward following the 2024 election, which saw Republicans win a governing trifecta for at least the next two years.
“Chaos is the point because chaos is the plan,” Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.Y.) said this morning. “This is going exactly how they wanted it to go.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) accused President Trump of seizing control of the federal budget and deciding by himself who gets funding and who doesn’t to bank money to offset the cost of extending his 2017 tax cuts and reward his political allies while punishing his political opponents.
“The president wants you to be distracted by the day-to-day announcements,” Murphy said. “But put together, the pardoning of the violent rioters, the firing of the inspectors general, and today, the stoppage of federal funding, leaving the decision only to the political whims of President Trump, represents the greatest, most serious constitutional crisis of our lifetime—one that threatens to undermine the very premise of American democracy.”
Democrats, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), called on their Republican colleagues to join them in stopping what they view as an unconstitutional power grab.
“I hope and believe that our colleagues on all sides of the aisle will realize that this is not a political discussion. This is not a programmatic discussion,” Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with Senate Democrats, said this morning. “This is an institutional discussion that goes to the viability and authority and expertise and work that's based upon Article [I] of the Constitution.”
Sens. Patty Murray (Wash.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.), the top two Democrats on the Senate Appropriations and Budget Committees, called on Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to hold the nomination of Russell Vought—Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget and the co-author of Project 2025, the comprehensive plan led by the Heritage Foundation to reshape the federal government and consolidate federal power.
Although Acting Director Matthew Vaeth signed the OMB memo imposing the federal funding freeze, Democrats said Vought’s fingerprints were all over it. At the core of the administration's directive is a reinterpretation of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act (ICA), a 1974 law enacted to “impound,” or limit the president’s ability to withhold funds appropriated by Congress and prevent executive interference with the legislative branch’s power of the purse.
Vought, who served as acting OMB Director during Trump’s first term, has been a vocal critic of the ICA, which he argues unduly restricts presidential authority over budgetary decisions. The funding freeze is a strategy to empower the executive branch to unilaterally reduce or eliminate funding for programs that the president deems unnecessary or misaligned with administration priorities.
“The Budget Committee will proceed with Mr. Vought’s nominations as scheduled,” a spokesperson for Graham said.
The freeze excludes programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and others directly benefiting Americans. However, people dependent on federally funded community and business programs could see delays or changes. Some programs may be permanently cut if they fall outside the administration’s vision for spending priorities. The same goes for nonprofits, universities and other recipients of federal grants if they aren’t ultimately canceled altogether.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to downplay the public uncertainty during her first press briefing.
“So what does this pause mean? It means no more funding for illegal DEI programs. It means no more funding for the Green New Scam that has cost American taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. It means no more funding for transgenderism and wokeness across our federal bureaucracy and agencies,”
she said. “Again, people who are receiving individual assistance, you will continue to receive that. And President Trump is looking out for you by issuing this pause because he is being a good steward of your taxpayer dollars.”
It’s no surprise congressional Democrats and their allies disagree.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters this morning that he spoke to Letitia James, New York Attorney General and co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, who told him she and her colleagues would be filing a lawsuit against the administration in response to the freeze.
“The president has exceeded his authority, he has violated the Constitution and he has trampled on a co-equal branch of government,” James said during a press conference this afternoon.
The House is in recess while Republicans hold their annual policy retreat at Trump National Doral Miami, but Democrats will hold an emergency virtual caucus meeting tomorrow afternoon, which I scooped earlier today.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) previewed the meeting in a letter to members earlier today. Members will discuss a “three-pronged counteroffensive,” including an appropriations, litigation, and communications strategy. House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Gerry Connolly will give presentations.
Members of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee will also deliver a presentation during the call. This morning, the DPCC circulated messaging guidance to members and a call to action to hold a press conference with local elected officials and invite stakeholders who provide direct services in the community to discuss the impact of the funding freeze. Members are also encouraged to go live or record and share a short video clip across their platforms to explain what is happening and how it will affect the people they represent.
“The Republican Rip Off is an unprecedented assault on the country, the Constitution and the Congress,”
Jeffries said in a letter to his members. “Millions of Americans will be hurt. By necessity, we will combat the extreme funding freeze with a forceful response on all fronts.”
In his letter, Jeffries also advised members to prepare for a Day of Action during this week’s recess.
With the next government funding deadline in less than two months, Sen. Murray told reporters Congress cannot function as a democracy in this country if elected officials refuse to respect and abide by our ability to make agreements in Congress.
“I, and many of my colleagues, have worked a long time to negotiate bipartisan bills. You do not pass appropriation bills in Congress in any year I’ve been here without bipartisan cooperation. That means you sit down at a table and you work out what we can all agree on. I don't love everything, they don't love everything, but we agree that this is what we fund. We pass it into law. We get the votes on both sides. The President signs it,” she said. “Can you imagine what it’s going to be like for any of us, either under this administration or the future administrations of any kind, if those agreements mean nothing, that somebody can sit back and say, ‘Sure, I’ll give you that,’ knowing full well that their president is in power and they will keep the funding out? Congress holds the power of the purse—that is very clear in the Constitution, in the rule of law—and it is critical for us to be able to fund and make this country run in a way that’s competent.”