Inside Democrats' plan to keep hammering Trump's funding freeze
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 23, 2025. Photo:
The Trump administration's freeze on federal grants and loans may have been short-lived, but expect it to still feature prominently in congressional Democrats' public messaging going forward.
Why it matters: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), in a call with his members Wednesday, touted the 48-hour funding freeze saga as a clear-cut victory for his party's strategy for countering Trump.
- Jeffries urged Democrats to "maximize our unity and comms and engagement," according to sources on the call, telling his colleagues "this is only the beginning."
- Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), the chair of House Democrats' messaging arm, urged them to brand the freeze as the "Republican Ripoff" and to hold events in their district highlighting its impact on their constituents.
Driving the news: The White House Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday rescinded a memo that ordered a "temporary pause" on federal funding.
- The memo, issued Monday night, led to widespread confusion in both federal agencies and state governments, with some states unable to access the Medicaid portal the following day.
- Democrats were quick to go on offense Tuesday, urging the Trump administration to walk back the memo while highlighting its concrete impacts on recipients of federal assistance.
Yes, but: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed Wednesday that Trump's executive orders freezing specific areas of federal funding — such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) — remain in force.
- Other targets include funding for foreign aid, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and efforts to combat climate change.
What we're hearing: Jeffries, in the call on Wednesday, laid out a three-pronged strategy for combating Trump that involves litigation, public messaging and using the appropriations process as leverage.
- House Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) gave a preview of some of Democrats' messaging, arguing on the call that the funding freeze proves Project 2025 is Trump's governing playbook.
- Democrats may also try to keep the funding freeze fresh in voters' minds by hitting the airwaves, with Democratic operative Ammar Moussa saying on X it "might show up in an ad or two."
What's next: In a notice to House Democratic offices obtained by Axios, the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee said that a "day of action" targeting the funding freeze is "still on" for Thursday.
- "Host a local event tomorrow or another day during this District Work Period to communicate how the Republican agenda will hurt working people to reward the wealthy and well-connected," it says.
Axios' Erin Doherty contributed reporting for this story.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting. It has been corrected to reflect that Ammar Moussa is a Democratic operative (not a DNC spokesperson)
