Female judge of Pakistani descent blocks Trump's federal funds freeze

• Judge issues temporary stay order to prevent freezing of funds. 
• The hearing for this case is scheduled for February 3.
• Funds were intended for distribution in form of federal grants.
  

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: A Pakistani-American federal district judge, Loren AliKhan, has temporarily halted the implementation of United States' President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order.

The 41-year-old judge responded to a petition from the National Council of Nonprofits and public health organisations, leading to a temporary administrative stay.

This ruling gained considerable attention, making headlines as breaking news across national media, with analysts discussing its broader implications.

The executive order, poised to freeze several hundred billion dollars in funds, was set to take effect on January 28.

These funds were intended for distribution in the form of federal grants, loans and other forms to non-profit organisations, charitable work, climate improvement projects, transgender rights and other activities that do not align with President Trump’s agenda.

Therefore, the National Council of Nonprofits and organisations promoting public health filed a petition against the implementation of Trump's executive order just hours before its enforcement, arguing that the enforcement of the presidential order and the freezing of billions of dollars in funds would cause irreparable harm to their operations and objectives.

Meanwhile, lawyers from the US Department of Justice contended that these non-profits and other organisations should provide clarification and evidence regarding the "irreparable harm".

After navigating the challenging process of nomination as a district judge during President Joe Biden's administration and the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearings and approval, AliKhan intervened just hours before the practical enforcement of President Trump's executive order.

Following discussions with lawyers of both parties, she issued a temporary stay order to prevent the freezing of funds. The hearing for this case is scheduled for February 3.

Before her position as a federal district judge, AliKhan had worked in various judicial and legal service roles. She is also an alumna of the prestigious Georgetown University in the US, and has served as the editor of the university’s law journal.

The executive order that AliKhan has halted is clearly at odds with the Trump administration's agenda, as it includes hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants for family planning, transgender rights, environmental issues, funding for NGOs to install solar systems on residential homes, public health interests, research on health issues, abortion and more. 

In an effort to demonstrate swift action, President Trump issued a large number of presidential executive orders, which instead of yielding effective performance and results, led to significant confusion and sluggishness within the Trump administration.

Just one day after the implementation of the presidential order to freeze US aid to foreign countries, the US Secretary of State had to announce exemptions and privileges regarding certain matters and items.

Potentially trillions of dollars in federal grants, loans and other aid faced possible suspension by the White House halt in aid, but a federal judge suspended the order shortly before it was to take effect Tuesday afternoon, said an AFP report.

AliKhan halted the order until at least Monday, after several non-profit groups filed suit claiming it was illegal.

Attorneys general of over 20 Democratic-led states later filed a separate suit seeking to block the order.

Even before the order was set to begin, online portals used to access the Medicaid health insurance program for poor families and disabled individuals became inaccessible.

"This is a blatant attempt to rip away health insurance from millions of Americans overnight and will get people killed," Oregon Senator Ron Wyden posted on X.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the website would be fixed soon and that "no payments have been affected."

She defended the drastic move as part of Trump's bid to make the government "good stewards of taxpayer dollars."

The freeze is not a "blanket" stop on spending, but a tool to check that "every penny that is going out the door is not conflicting with the executive orders and actions that this president has taken," said Leavitt.

She listed as examples racial equality and climate change programs that Trump has vowed to eradicate — and did not answer a question about whether Medicaid recipients would be cut off.

Top Trump aide Stephen Miller later told CNN that Medicaid was not targeted and, in a post on X, said the confusion was a "media hoax."

The order, signed by acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Matthew Vaeth, did not make clear how such a pause on disbursements of funding will work or for how long.

Federal spending included more than $3 trillion in financial assistance like grants and loans in fiscal year 2024 — all of which was approved by Congress.

Democrats accused Trump of usurping Congress' constitutionally mandated control over budget spending and attempting to force the government to bend to his personal will.

In the past week, his administration has fired independent government watchdogs and several career prosecutors who were involved in an official probe of his attempts to overthrow the 2020 election.

Additional input from AFP