01.28.25

Budget Committee Ranking Member Merkley Slams Illegal Federal Funding Freezes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley – Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee – blasted the Trump administration’s late-night announcement freezing all federal funds, a clear violation of law and Congress’s constitutional duty to appropriate funds:

“The President is not a king, and the laws Congress passes are not suggestions. The Trump administration must follow the law and immediately reverse this shameful order.

“Federal funds are the foundations for our schools, hospitals, and law enforcement and fire departments. These funds support the roads we drive on, the pipes that deliver water to our homes, the food we eat at our kitchen tables grown by farmers in our communities, and federal programs that assist families recovering from natural disasters. President Trump just pulled the rug out from under our communities.

“The Trump administration’s illegal order to halt all federal investments is blatantly unconstitutional. Congress has duly appropriated these funds, and they must be spent as directed—this is the law.

“This cruel order will force schools, hospitals, food banks, and other community organizations to stop offering vital services. The list goes on and one thing is remarkably clear: President Trump’s Great Betrayal of working families knows no limit.”

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