Tweet from Trump's press secretary justifies halting spending freeze, judge says

• McConnell didn't buy the Trump administration's claim that a subsequent memo from the Office of Management and Budget ended the spending freeze, making the states' lawsuit moot.
• Instead, McConnell in his temporary restraining order quoted Leavitt's post on X that said President Trump's spending orders "on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented."

Context: The Office of Management and Budget sent a memo to federal agencies Monday night directing them to "temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance."

• Several states, including New York, California and Massachusetts, sued to block the spending freeze.
• In a follow-up memo Tuesday, the White House said the pause wasn't "across-the-board" but instead only to target areas like federal diversity programs.

What they're saying: Citing the Impoundment Act of 1974, McConnell rejected the argument that freezing federal spending is necessary to ensure it aligns with Trump's political priorities.

• "The Executive Branch has a duty to align federal spending and action with the will of the people as expressed through congressional appropriations, not through Presidential priorities," he wrote.
• Further, McConnell said a temporary restraining order is warranted because Leavitt's X post suggests the Trump administration is still moving forward with the spending freeze.
• McConnell's restraining order also prohibits the federal government "from reissuing, adopting, implementing, or otherwise giving effect to the OMB Directive under any other name or title."