President Donald Trump suffered two legal setbacks on Tuesday when one federal judge in Rhode Island halted some of his cuts at federal agencies, and another in Manhattan blocked him from canceling unspent aid intended to help schools move on from COVID.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell, Jr. in Rhode Island said Trump can’t unilaterally end the funding and programs for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
The agencies, established by Congress, carried out the cuts under the direction of an executive order from Trump.
In Tuesday’s preliminary injunction, McConnell said the actions were likely arbitrary and capricious because the agencies weren’t able to provide more than “vague” justifications for the sweeping cuts.
“It also disregards the fundamental constitutional role of each of the branches of our federal government; specifically, it ignores the unshakable principles that Congress makes the law and appropriates funds, and the Executive implements the law Congress enacted and spends the funds Congress appropriated,” McConnell wrote.
Separately, U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos in Manhattan blocked Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon from canceling over $1.1 billion in unspent aid from the American Rescue Plan Act that was meant to help schools tackle the lasting impacts of the COVID pandemic, Reuters reported.
Ramos issued a preliminary injunction.
This is a developing article and more information will be added soon.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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