Federal judge temporarily blocks federal funding freeze
Within minutes of the White House freezing billions in federal grants and loans, a federal judge temporarily blocked the funding pause from taking effect.
US District Judge Loren L. AliKhan issued a brief administration stay of the policy during a virtual hearing on Tuesday afternoon.
The stay blocks the policy from taking effect until 5:00 p.m. ET on February 3.
Pressed by Judge AliKhan, Justice Department lawyer Daniel Schwei struggled to articulate the full extent of the administration's guidance.
“It seems like the federal government currently doesn't actually know the full scope of the programs that are going to be subject to the pause. Is that correct?” she asked.