Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Vox’s The Logoff: Trump’s plan to freeze billions in federal spending, defined

The Logoff is a day by day publication that helps you keep knowledgeable concerning the Trump administration with out letting political information take over your life. Subscribe right here.

Welcome to The Logoff. At this time’s version is about Donald Trump’s try to freeze an enormous portion of federal spending, a transfer that has implications for tens of millions of Individuals who rely upon authorities packages and for the long-term steadiness of energy.

What funds is Trump making an attempt to freeze? Up to now, there’s mass confusion. The order seems, broadly, to freeze grant funding that goes out to organizations, however not funds to people. Medicare and Social Safety should not affected, however no one appears clear on what’s occurring to Medicaid (although the newest pondering is that it’s secure), and interpretations battle on different packages, like meals stamps.

When does this go into impact? It was set to enter impact at 5 pm at present, however a federal decide simply issued a short lived halt on the spending freeze whereas judges overview it. So for now, we’re in limbo.

How lengthy is the pause meant to final? Businesses have till February 10 to overview the spending to see if it aligns with Trump’s priorities. What occurs after that’s unclear.

Is that this an enormous deal? Extraordinarily. We’re speaking about billions of {dollars} and packages that present day-to-day support for folks in want.

Is that this regular? By no means. Presidents sometimes pause sure grant funding for overview, however two issues make this distinctive: the scope of the freeze, which works approach, approach past what Trump’s predecessors have finished, and the truth that Trump has threatened to cancel some spending solely.

Is that this authorized? Buckle up. There’s disagreement over whether or not even pausing this spending is authorized, and that’s already being challenged in court docket. However the large query is what occurs if Trump follows by on his promise to completely cancel some spending that Congress has approved. That transfer — referred to as “impoundment” — is illegitimate below US regulation. However Trump’s crew says that regulation is unconstitutional, and the battle appears more likely to go all the way in which to the Supreme Courtroom.

And if the Supreme Courtroom had been to aspect with Trump, it could hand a lot of Congress’s management of spending over to the president — an enormous rebalancing of energy throughout the federal authorities.

And with that, it’s time to log out …

I used to be intrigued by this story about what seems to be a piece of the moon that broke off eons in the past and is now by itself orbital journey. It’s a pleasant reminder that the universe is filled with mysteries. I’ll see you again right here tomorrow.

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