A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump ruled against the administration on Monday, finding that it improperly withheld tens of millions of dollars in congressionally approved funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
Why It Matters
NED’s lawsuit raised questions about the role Congress plays in managing the country’s budget, which is governed by the Impoundment Control Act. It was one of several suits accusing the Trump administration of violating the law by withholding money that had already been approved by Congress.
What To Know
NED sued the Trump administration over the funds in March, accusing it of illegally withholding, or “impounding,” the funds.
The plaintiffs said the halt created a “devastating” cash flow crisis for the organization that forced it to furlough 75 percent of its staff and suspend critical programs while threatening the organization’s mission to support pro-democracy movements around the world.
“The defendants have likely unlawfully frozen the Endowment’s funding,” U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington, D.C., wrote in a 15-page ruling on Monday.
Friedrich was appointed to the federal bench by Trump in 2017, during his first term.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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