Trump funding freeze causes mass confusion in Connecticut around SNAP, non-profits, Medicaid
After hours of chaos, confusion and outrage from officials in Connecticut and beyond, a federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration freeze on most types of federal grants and loans.
The policy, which had been set to take effect Tuesday at 5 p.m. but is now on hold until Monday, called for agencies to freeze billions of dollars in aid for 90 days as they evaluated whether funding was "consistent with the law and the President’s priorities."
Top officials in Connecticut spent much of the day Tuesday unsure exactly what programs the freeze would affect and how they might plug any resulting gaps. Many slammed President Donald Trump for a policy they feared would devastate Connecticut families, non-profits and municipal budgets.
"The calls we received today from everyday people — mothers concerned about child care, students concerned about their loans, people afraid that they're not going to make their housing (payments) — these are real people," U.S. Rep. John Larson said at a news conference packed with the state's most powerful elected officials, all Democrats.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro described the order as "unconscionable" and "life-threatening chaos."
"At every level of government and for every conceivable program, the Trump administration is running roughshod over American families," said DeLauro, the top Democrat on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee.
Connecticut Republicans expressed less concern Tuesday, with state House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora accusing Democrats of "racing to the microphone to fear-monger."
The Trump administration initially said Monday night its funding freeze would apply to most grants and loans, with exceptions for Social Security, Medicare and other forms of "assistance provided directly to individuals." This led to widespread concern for programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, Head Start, Pell grants, Meals on Wheels and more.
Connecticut Republicans expressed less concern Tuesday, with state House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora accusing Democrats of "racing to the microphone to fear-monger."
The Trump administration initially said Monday night its funding freeze would apply to most grants and loans, with exceptions for Social Security, Medicare and other forms of "assistance provided directly to individuals." This led to widespread concern for programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, Head Start, Pell grants, Meals on Wheels and more.
A federal judge in Washington blocked the policy shortly before 5 p.m., in response to a suit from the National Council of Nonprofits.
With the policy now on hold, Connecticut will have at least a few more days to prepare for a loss of funding. Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday he would wait to find out exactly what programs would be affected before determining how the state would respond. He did not rule out dipping into the state's rainy day fund to fill gaps.
"I don't know whether (Trump) is dangerously chaotic, or I don't know whether there's a method to the madness," the governor said. "All I know is we're going to be there to stand with the people of Connecticut, protect our Connecticut values, do everything to make sure we keep going as a state."
Consequences for non-profits
If implemented, the freeze could still have dramatic consequences for Connecticut non-profits, many of which rely heavily on federal funding. Gian-Carl Casa, president of the Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance, said even a temporary pause would "help rip a tear into the state's safety net services."
"We're talking about families who need shelter or food, people who have mental health or substance abuse treatment needs, people with disabilities who get services," Casa said. "To take such steps without regard to the wellbeing of living, breathing people who are in need of help is beyond comprehension."
Casa warned that, for example, a loss of funding for homeless shelters could leave families outside in the winter cold.
Sarah Fox, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, told CT Insider on Tuesday that the group was taking a "wait-and-see posture" toward the funding freeze.
"The word 'freeze' — when we are talking about the fact that we already have neighbors freezing outside — holds a deeply personal meaning for us, in the dead of winter," Fox said. "Even a brief pause in services can mean life or death for the people we are talking about."
An array of other Connecticut non-profits also released statements Tuesday decrying the funding freeze and warning of how a loss of federal funding might affect them.
"This executive order is not just reckless — it’s harmful and already creating unnecessary chaos and hardship for families and communities across the country and our state," Emily Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children, said in a statement.
Comptroller Sean Scanlon noted that while state and even local governments have the resources to survive sudden funding cuts, most non-profits do not.
"Nonprofits don't have rainy day funds, and they're making decisions right now about what they're going to do tomorrow morning to see if they can still pay somebody," Scanlon said, shortly before the funding freeze was suspended.
Legal questions
The funding freeze quickly drew scrutiny from legal experts, many of whom said the President lacks constitutional authority to hold back funds appropriated by Congress.
Richard Kay, a constitutional law professor at the University of Connecticut, said the order appears to violate both federal law and the U.S. constitution itself.
"I'm pretty cautious, usually, about making judgments ... but this one just seems pretty close to clearly unconstitutional to me," Kay said. "The President has no authority to essentially overrule the legislative judgment here."
As of just after 4 p.m., Tong said his office intended to sue "imminently," joining about 21 other states.
"It's utterly unconstitutional and unlawful," the attorney general said of the funding freeze. "It is lawless on so many different levels."
The Trump administration argued Tuesday the freeze was not unconstitutional because it represented only a "temporary pause," which are "a necessary part of program implementation that have been ordered by past presidents to ensure that programs are being executed and funds spent in accordance with a new President’s policies."
At a news conference in Washington, Sen. Chris Murphy forcefully slammed Trump's order, which he characterized as "an attempt by Donald Trump to seize power."
"This is what a king does," said Murphy, a Democrat. "This is not how a democracy works. One man does not decide how taxpayers' money is spent."
Other Connecticut Democrats have raised similar alarm, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal vowing to help reverse what he called a "reckless, lawless harmful dictatorial order."
State lawmakers react
Lamont has been less vocal in opposing Trump than other Democrats over recent weeks but said Tuesday that this time was a little different.
"I've told everybody, 'Relax, there's a lot of rhetoric that comes out of Washington, D.C., let's deal with it when it's real,'" Lamont said Tuesday morning. "Now it's real."
Typically a fiscal moderate, Lamont wouldn't rule out using state funds to backstop programs that could be in danger amid the freeze.
Lamont's office is currently preparing a two-year state budget proposal that the governor will present in early February. Lawmakers have warned repeatedly that this year's budget process could be more complicated than usual, due to the possibility the Trump administration might cut funding for Medicaid and other programs.
Top state Democratic legislators said they were watching the situation closely Tuesday and would adjust accordingly. Connecticut Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, called the order "extremely disconcerting," while Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said the Trump administration was "saying to poor people, forget about basic services, you're not going to get them anymore."
Candelora, a North Branford Republican, said Tuesday he wanted to wait for more information before judging the Trump administration's funding freeze.
“Get your facts straight, have your information before you run to a microphone to use your bully pulpit to misinform the state of Connecticut,” Candelora said.
Lamont's office is currently preparing a two-year state budget proposal that the governor will present in early February. Lawmakers have warned repeatedly that this year's budget process could be more complicated than usual, due to the possibility the Trump administration might cut funding for Medicaid and other programs.
Top state Democratic legislators said they were watching the situation closely Tuesday and would adjust accordingly. Connecticut Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, called the order "extremely disconcerting," while Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said the Trump administration was "saying to poor people, forget about basic services, you're not going to get them anymore."
Candelora, a North Branford Republican, said Tuesday he wanted to wait for more information before judging the Trump administration's funding freeze.
“Get your facts straight, have your information before you run to a microphone to use your bully pulpit to misinform the state of Connecticut,” Candelora said.