The Trump administration rescinded its memo directing a pause on all federal grants and loans a day after it about the status of key programs, and 黑料吃瓜网 Democrats vowed to be ready for the next fight.
Wednesday鈥檚 reversal created some temporary relief as well as additional confusion after the White House said executive orders regarding the review of federal funding still remain in place.
With the whiplash over the order's status, Democrats in Washington and 黑料吃瓜网 characterized it as a small, incremental victory. But they warned against getting "complacent," particularly with the mixed messaging over federal funding.
Over the past couple of days, Democrats have gone on offense to counter the funding freeze amid a torrent of other executive orders from President Donald Trump. They argued the order was illegal and violated Congress' power to appropriate money. And while a federal judge in D.C. placed a temporary injunction on the order right before the Tuesday deadline, some programs had already seen disruptions, and the reimbursement portals for Medicaid and Head Start programs went down in 黑料吃瓜网 and elsewhere.
"This attempted seizure of power is simply one more step that is galvanizing us," U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. "No one could have predicted this level of illegality and arrogance. ... This unconstitutional power grab reveals something deep in the man that I think requires us to be galvanized and vigorous."
With the breakneck pace of policies and orders coming from the White House, Democrats had been trying to find their footing in a response to Trump and Republicans, which control both the legislative and executive branches.
The party set off a full-court press in both D.C. and 黑料吃瓜网 as Democrats sought to identify the real-world consequences of pausing federal financial assistance: Title I funding for schools that help low-income families, cancer research, resources for child care and housing, disaster relief efforts and transportation projects.
Gov. Ned Lamont sought to reassure that payments would continue to "everything that's in our state budget."
The mayors of Hartford and New Haven said they did not have immediate cash flow problems and could use surplus dollars to hold off any issues for at least a few weeks in the case of a freeze.
In Washington, a group of Democrats opposed Trump's Cabinet nominees as a protest vote in the wake of the funding freeze. Sean Duffy, the nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation, cleared a unanimous procedural vote but received opposition from Democrats on final passage, though he was still confirmed Tuesday. Blumenthal and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., supported Duffy in what's called a cloture vote, but voted against him after that.
"Until this crisis passages, I don鈥檛 think you can represent 黑料吃瓜网 and support appointed who are going to deny 黑料吃瓜网 the dollars that have been lawfully appropriated," Murphy said during a press call with Blumenthal prior to the rescission.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he expects Democrats to continue to protest against other Trump nominees, including the president's nominee to run the White House budget office, Russell Vought.
"This might be a small victory, but it鈥檚 a long war," Schumer said Wednesday afternoon following news the memo would be rescinded.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocked the pause shortly before it was to go into effect late Tuesday afternoon. The was supposed to stay in place until Monday and the court would hear arguments regarding a restraining order.
黑料吃瓜网 Attorney General William Tong joined two dozen others in a request for a temporary restraining order that was filed in federal court in Rhode Island. On Wednesday, Tong said the latest signals from the White House created more confusion.
"I do not for a second believe this threat is over," Tong said in a statement. "Trump鈥檚 actions caused massive confusion and chaos for 黑料吃瓜网 families and across every level of government and our economy. The announcements from the White House today are just more confusion and chaos. We are in court today, and we are going to stay there for as long as it takes to protect 黑料吃瓜网 families and our state."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to clarify that the rescission applied to the Monday night memo from the Office of Management and Budget and not to a review of funding that is covered under Trump's executive orders.
"This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court's injunction," Leavitt posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "The President's [executive orders] on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented."
Murphy responded on X that the White House showed the "crisis is deepening, not abating" as way to circumvent the court order in place to pause it.
"As I said before, if they did it once, they can do it again 鈥� and it looks like they already have. This federal funding freeze is theft and corruption 鈥� looting community health centers and domestic violence shelters to finance tax cuts for billionaires," Blumenthal said, adding that the "reversals only exacerbate the confusion and chaos 鈥� and amplify disruption and damage to essential services."
Republicans in Washington and 黑料吃瓜网 largely stood by Trump鈥檚 decision to review all federal funding on Tuesday. And they accused Democrats of overreacting and having a "penchant for theatrics."
"Let鈥檚 be clear: the President鈥檚 federal funding pause is far from the doomsday scenario Democrats are peddling. Their claims are nothing more than an attempt to gaslight 黑料吃瓜网 residents," House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora and Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding said in a joint statement Tuesday following Democrats' press conference at the state Capitol in Hartford.
"If Attorney General Tong and other Democrat leaders invested half as much effort into lowering costs for electric ratepayers as they do defending criminal illegal aliens and librarians promoting sexualized content in schools, 黑料吃瓜网 families would be far better off," they added.
Democrats pushed back that the onus should also fall on Republicans, arguing their constituents would feel the ripple effect if critical programs and projects were cut off.
"We鈥檝e got to point out each one of these areas, my Republican colleagues who represent cities and states 鈥� that they have the spine to stand up and say no, my obligation is the people who put me here," U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, said Tuesday. "I haven鈥檛 seen it yet. I鈥檓 hopeful but we have to wait and see what happens there. It鈥檚 chaos all with the intent of trying to squeeze this portion of the budget, which deals with people鈥檚 public services."
DeLauro, who is the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, and others contended that the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which limits a president鈥檚 ability to decline to spend money already appropriated by Congress. Her committee plays a major role in negotiating and crafting the spending bills that fund federal agencies.
Democrats, like Blumenthal, argued the funding freeze "completely changes the game" and that they need to keep up the pressure on similar policies, such as the hiring freeze across the federal workforce and the firing of independent inspectors general.
While Democrats are in the minority in both chambers of Congress, they believe they have leverage in some upcoming fights. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, noted that Republicans will need to include Democrats in negotiations to fund the federal government and raise the debt ceiling because of the GOP's slim margins.
"It would be to our peril to think that these are just chaotic actions," U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, said Tuesday. "This is done with surgical precision. To think they don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e doing 鈥� these are all attempts to cut the programs and services to the people who need them the most."
Lamont, speaking to reporters Wednesday morning after an address to the Council of Small Towns, said things were calmer and a little clearer.
"While we were doing our thing, the Medicaid portal opened. I don't know whether that was a technical glitch or just something odd going on down in Washington. You know, they put a hold on it 鈥� the courts did," Lamont said, referring to Tuesday's press conference.
"Maybe only for a few more days, but that allows calmer heads, I think, to prevail," he continued. "But what is terrible is the confusion out there, and popping up with these ideas, and everybody responds. And you heard our response, you heard Republican responses. You hear mayors. A bunch of people came up, 鈥榃hat is that going to mean for me?鈥� And I can't simply say, 鈥楲et's wait and see, calmer heads will prevail.鈥� They've got to be very careful with these [executive orders]."
After the recission was announced in the early afternoon, Lamont expressed some relief.
鈥淭his freeze would have left millions of Americans in uncertainty, particularly those who need access to life necessities like food, housing, education, and health care," he said. "There was not enough analysis completed by the White House to fully understand its impact, which would have undoubtedly been overwhelming. This decision was the right move, and we鈥檙e relieved that for now, common sense prevailed.鈥�
CT Mirror staff writer Mark Pazniokas contributed to this story.
