A federal judge has issued a temporary halt to the Trump administrationโs efforts to significantly reduce funding for three government agencies. These agencies include the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provides financial support to libraries across the United States, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, which assists in resolving labor disputes within the public sector, and the Minority Business Development Agency, which aids in business contracting initiatives for states.
Judge John McConnell, Jr., serving in Rhode Island, decreed that President Trump lacks the authority to unilaterally discontinue funding and programming for these three agencies, all of which were established by Congressional mandate. The agencies commenced the funding rollbacks in response to an executive order issued by Trump. However, in his preliminary injunction, McConnell criticized the move as likely arbitrary and capricious, noting that the agencies provided only โvagueโ reasons for the extensive budget cuts.
โThis decision undercuts the core constitutional framework guiding our federal government; it particularly challenges the central tenet that Congress is responsible for crafting laws and appropriating funds, while the Executiveโs role is to enforce these laws and utilize the funds Congress allocates,โ McConnell articulated in his ruling.
In response to Trumpโs directive issued on March 14, which instructed these agencies to strip away any programs not legally mandated and to minimize staffing and other operations to statutory limits, 21 states filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit argued that dismantling the agencies jeopardizes hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding and disadvantages the public. Affected programs under threat encompass services like a braille library in Washington, a California-based literacy initiative, and a Rhode Island program for veterans, according to the legal complaint.
Government attorneys contended that the scope of the lawsuit was overly expansive. They argued that while some states cited specific terminated grants, others were only speculating on potential future costs or non-renewal of grants. Department of Justice attorneys also noted that certain grant recipients had yet to request their grant payments. Furthermore, disputes related to personnel issues, such as job terminations or reductions in workforce, must first be addressed by designated entities before they are eligible for federal court consideration. This, they argued, made it appear as though the states were attempting to โcut in lineโ within the legal process.
This ruling aligns with another recent legal decision from Washington, D.C., where U.S. District Judge Richard Leon similarly prevented the Trump administration from closing the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Judge Leon determined that the plaintiffs, including the American Library Association and a federal employeesโ union, were likely to succeed in their claim that President Trump lacks the legal right to dismantle an agency established by Congress.