White House Will Defend Trump’s Funding Freeze Order in Court

A federal judge in Rhode Island blocked the pause in government funding and grants on Tuesday after 22 states filed a complaint.

President Donald Trump, alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaks to reporters while in flight on Air Force One to Joint Base Andrews, on Jan. 27, 2025. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

The White House confirmed it will defend President Donald Trump’s move earlier this week to freeze federal funding and grants, which was blocked temporarily on Tuesday by a judge.

Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, will weigh a bid by 22 mostly Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia for a temporary restraining order. The states say the freeze could have a devastating effect on their budgets.