A federal judge has extended a temporary restraining order on President Donald Trump’s freeze on federal aid programs as she considers whether to further impose an injunction on the government.
Judge Loren AliKhan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who heard arguments Thursday over the White House’s sweeping pause on federal funding and grants, appeared skeptical of the government’s argument that an injunction isn’t necessary.
Lawyers for nonprofit and public health groups who sued over the freeze urged AliKhan to impose an injunction that would prevent the Office of Management and Budget from continuing with efforts to impose an across-the-board freeze on existing contracts.
Money for existing contracts has been unfrozen, but worries remain, Kevin Friedl, an attorney with the Democracy Forward Foundation told AliKhan. The groups believe it was the temporary restraining order that forced the administration’s hand, he added.
