White House defends dramatic federal funding freeze

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt vehemently defended the administration’s sweeping freeze on federal aid, arguing Tuesday in her first press briefing that it was critical to scrutinize the scope of the government’s spending.

“The reason for this is to ensure that every penny going out the door is not conflicting with the executive orders and action that this president has taken,” Leavitt said. “This is a very responsible measure.”

Leavitt insisted that the freeze would not affect federal assistance that goes directly to individuals, such as Social Security benefits and food aid.

But she would not directly answer whether other social service programs that serve people indirectly — such as Meals on Wheels and Medicaid — would be affected. She dismissed reports of widespread confusion over the scope and impact of the White House order in the wake of its release late on Monday.

“There’s only uncertainty in this room amongst the media, there’s no uncertainty in this building,” she said. “The president signed an executive order directing OMB to do just this.”

Even so, Leavitt declined to say how long the freeze would last. And she offered no solutions for how programs affected by the order would make payroll and maintain operations in the interim, saying only that the Office of Management and Budget is reviewing individual programs.

President Donald Trump’s budget office late Monday ordered a total pause on “all federal financial assistance,” as the administration conducts a review of its spending and looks to eliminate funding that does not support the president’s agenda. The new order could affect billions of dollars in grants to states and local governments, while causing disruptions to programs that benefit a multitude of households. It remains unclear how the memo will be implemented and whether it will face legal challenges.

Trump’s latest move underscores his efforts to rapidly harness power over the government and shift control of federal funding further away from Congress. And it’s another example of Trump’s preparedness for his second term, as the president and his allies are now familiar with Washington and used his time out of office to draft a more aggressive agenda.

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