Trump's Administrative Coup Threatens Our Health and Safety
On Monday, wannabe-king Trump issued an unconstitutional decree through his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) halting a wide swath of federal non-defense funding for an indefinite period. This is an assertion of illegal powers to seize money that Congress has already legally directed to be spent for health, safety, education, research, housing, disaster relief, small business loans, and a wide range of other public needs.
While his edict impounds all spending immediately, its language makes clear his ultimate partisan political targets and extreme right-wing ideological purposes are:
The use of federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars ... including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.
Under our Constitutional system of checks and balances, we are supposed to have three co-equal branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The foundation stone of congressional authority is its power to grant or withhold funding—the “power of the purse.” If King Trump's unilateral assertion of power to impound congressionally authorized funds stands, it will be an administrative coup allowing him to overrule Congress at his whim.
Russ Vought, Trump's nominee to head the OMB, wrote an entire chapter of the infamous Project 2025 that called for pausing, reviewing, curtailing and eliminating grants that are seen as advancing liberal agendas, like environmental stewardship and LGBTQ+ equality.
It is clear that the impact of Trump's diktat is going to vary by class. First because of what programs will be eliminated or reduced; and second because affluent people and their well-funded institutions and organizations have access to lawyers and lobbyists, have elected officials on speed-dial, and have insider deal-makers and Trump-whisperers to shield them from impact. Individuals and groups who are not in the upper strata of wealth and power will not be so protected. At the end of the day, the burden of these cuts are going to fall on poor and working people, leaving the billionaire class fatter, happier, and richer.
Late yesterday, a judge temporarily halted implementation of Trump's administrative coup. But with a highly-partisan Supreme Court majority committed to the MAGA agenda, we cannot rely on the judiciary alone to defend our freedom and our Constitution. Only we can preserve democracy. It's up to us to fight back and resist with actions such as:
Demand that our federal legislators overturn this funding suspension and ensure that our government works for us, not the billionaires who want to take our freedoms, endanger our families, and control our futures. In particular, until this decree is revoked, tell our two senators to:
Refuse all Unanimous Consent requests (Unanimous Consent is where the Senate simply agrees to do something without making each senator vote on it)
Oppose all Cloture votes (the votes that advance legislation out of debate to a vote)
Oppose all Trump nominees
Request a Quorum Call at every possible opportunity (which puts sand in the gears of Congressional business)
Thank Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta for immediately joining other states in suing to halt the OMB decree.
Urge our media sources to cover this story courageously and accurately:
It's not "possibly illegal" — it's "patently illegal."
It's not "temporary" — it's "indefinite."
It's not just a memo — it's an administrative coup.
Talk to friends and family about this issue even if they voted for or voiced support for Trump. They may agree with some of his promises, but do they really want a King and government of the billionaires, by the lobbyists, for the obscenely wealthy?
If you are (or might be) impacted by the freeze: Share your story. Go to social media and share a video or a post talking about how Trump’s seizing of funds impacts you. It’ll be the stories of harm that generate backlash to Trump’s overreach. Consider tagging your elected officials and sharing with Indivisible.
References
OMB Memo (PDF format)
Trump’s Spending Freeze Sows Confusion and Fear. NY Times 1/28 (No paywall).
Trump move to pause federal loans and grants rooted in Project 2025, Guardian 1/28
National Indivisible's call for senatorial action and Trump’s Dictatorial Power Grab, Indivisible. 1/28