Washington joins lawsuit challenging federal funding freeze
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Washington Attorney General Nick Brown speaks at a press conference Monday. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios
Washington joined nearly two dozen other states Tuesday in challenging the Trump administration's temporary pause on federal grants and loans, the same day a federal judge blocked the funding pause from taking effect for now.
Why it matters: A Monday memo announcing the temporary pause on some federal spending threw many government agencies and nonprofits into chaos as they tried to determine whether their funding would be cut off.
- Officials in Washington state on Tuesday scrambled to gauge how the pause may affect public safety agencies, education programs and public health initiatives that rely on federal money.
The latest: The lawsuit, which Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown joined on Tuesday, is separate from a lawsuit filed by nonprofits that also challenged the federal spending freeze.
- On Tuesday, a federal judge in Washington D.C. paused the spending freeze for about a week, with legal arguments to be considered in court Monday morning, NBC News reported.
What they're saying: "The White House justifies this damaging move with culture war alarmism, but in reality they're robbing governments and service providers of funds that keep people safe and serve urgent needs in all of our communities," Brown said in a news release Tuesday.
- "We're confident that the courts will, once again, determine that [Trump] is exceeding his authority," Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in the same news release.
- U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) also called the attempted funding freeze a "brazen and illegal" move in comments to reporters on Tuesday.
Zoom in: Jamie Housen, a spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, told Axios on Tuesday the city was still analyzing the potential impacts of the freeze, given the "broad and vague language" in the administration's memo that surfaced Monday afternoon.
- "Strong constitutional protections exist that limit the federal government's ability to coerce cities by conditioning funds," Housen wrote in an email.
- "We will continue to assess actions that impact Seattle's access to federal funding that supports all of our residents and respond appropriately. "
Read more: Washington preps resources for children separated from immigrant parents