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Last week, after the Office of Management and Budget released a memo ordering a vague “temporary pause” on grant and loan spending by federal agencies, pending review to ensure the spending aligned with Donald Trump’s priorities, it didn’t take long for a coalition of nonprofits and health care providers to file a lawsuit claiming the move was illegal and would cause irreparable harm.
OMB had provided less than 24 hours advance notice, creating widespread chaos and confusion. Federal district judge Loren AliKhan quickly put a temporary pause on OMB’s temporary pause to give the parties—and the court—time to respond.
In the meantime, OMB rescinded its memo, and Trump’s Justice Department declared the case moot, only to have White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt muddy the waters by tweeting that, well, actually, the freeze wasn’t rescinded—only the memo.
On January 31, …