Trump orders federal funding freeze in possible violation of US constitution

President Donald Trump campaigned on remaking the US government but he is accused of a power grab.

US President Donald Trump ordered a pause on federal aid that could affect trillions of dollars earmarked for everything from education grants to medical research to small business loans starting on Tuesday. Democratic senators said the "illegal" order violates the constitution by usurping Congress's power to control the US budget.

The healthcare system for millions of low-income Americans and rafts of other programs were thrown into disarray Tuesday after President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on federal funding, a move opponents blasted as unconstitutional.

It was Trump's latest radical step since he took office a week ago, vowing to force the US government and its employees to back his right-wing political goals or face retribution.

Potentially trillions of dollars in federal grants, loans and other aid were frozen by the White House order set to take effect Tuesday at 5:00 pm (2200 GMT), casting a shadow over everything from education to small businesses.

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Online portals used to access the Medicaid health insurance program for poor families and disabled individuals were quickly inaccessible.

"This is a blatant attempt to rip away health insurance from millions of Americans overnight and will get people killed," Oregon Senator Ron Wyden posted on X.

She defended the drastic move as part of Trump's bid to make the government "good stewards of taxpayer dollars."


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