White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt, throughout her first press briefing on Tuesday, confronted a barrage of questions on the administration’s freeze on federal monetary help packages that congressional Democrats referred to as flatly unlawful.
Businesses face a 5 p.m. ET deadline to adjust to a memo from the White Home Workplace of Administration and Funds to stop spending on any grant or mortgage packages if they believe it would battle with President Donald Trump’s latest govt orders on DEI, overseas assist, local weather spending extra.
The memo prompted widespread confusion amongst advocacy organizations and state officers, a few of whom reported error messages when making an attempt to entry portals to attract down funds for Medicaid, group well being facilities and extra.
A authorized problem has been filed by nonprofits and well being teams who argue the Workplace of Administration and Funds is exceeding its authority.
“There is no uncertainty on this constructing,” Leavitt mentioned when requested to make clear about precisely what packages will likely be impacted.
“Social Safety advantages, Medicare advantages, meals stamps, welfare advantages, help that’s going on to people is not going to be impacted by this pause,” she mentioned.
White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivers remarks throughout her first every day briefing on the White Home, in Washington, Jan. 28, 2025.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Leavitt later added, “Nevertheless, it’s the accountability of this president and this administration to be good stewards of taxpayer {dollars}. That’s one thing that President Trump campaigned on.”
Leavitt mentioned the freeze was momentary, however didn’t develop on a particular timeline on when it might finish.
When requested if Medicaid was impacted by the pause, Leavitt could not instantly say. She additionally didn’t straight reply to a query on the affect on organizations like Meals on Wheels, which gives meals to 2.2 million seniors, or Head Begin, a program for preschool schooling, that obtain federal funding.
Leavitt mentioned Workplace of Administration and Funds despatched a memo to Capitol Hill to “make clear a few of the questions and the solutions that every one of you’re asking me proper now.”
This can be a creating story. Please test again for updates.