Impoundment Crisis:
Tracking the Federal Funding Freeze & Legal Fight
Stay informed about the latest developments in the federal funding freeze, the legal fight, and how impoundment harms everyday Americans. Access real-time updates, legal documents, and advocacy resources.
What is Happening Right Now?
March 12, 2025
- Third climate nonprofit takes Citibank to court – Politico
- US judge says Musk’s DOGE must release records on operations run in ‘secrecy’ – Reuters
- Frozen Federal Funds Harm Western States Facing Drought – Politico
- NIH to terminate or limit grants related to vaccine hesitancy and uptake – Washington Post
- USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks – Politico
- Farmers Still Owed Hundreds of Millions in REAP Payments After Federal Freeze – The Daily Yonder
- House Democrats probe EPA over stalled $20B climate fund – Politico
- Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud – Associated Press
- Companies warn investors that DOGE’s federal cuts might hurt business – Washington Post
- Trump overstepped his constitutional authority in freezing Congress’ funding for USAID, judge says – ABC
What is Happening Right Now?
Senator Lindsey Graham: “We are losing altitude here. We started off good. We are losing altitude.”
“Were Musk’s wings clipped?”
Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze
Trump’s Executive Actions to Impound Funding
- Unleashing American Energy
- Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid
- Protecting the American People From Invasion
- Advancing United States Interests When Funding Nongovernmental Organizations – White House Memo
- Background on Unlawful Impoundment in President Trump’s Executive Orders – House Appropriations Committee
Tracking Instances of Impoundment
- Using OMB’s Apportionment Website: Resources for Congress – Protect Democracy
- Environmental Protection Network Newsletter – Provides a bi-monthly update on federal funding for environmental/energy programs
- Tracking Federal Expenditures in Real Time – The Hamilton Project
What is the Federal Funding Freeze?
- White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion – Washington Post
- Potential Implications of Trump’s Sweeping, Illegal Funding Freeze – Senate Appropriations Committee
- Does Trump Have the Power to Block Spending That Congress Has Authorized? – New York Times
- ‘It’s an Illegal Executive Order. And It’s Stealing.’ – The Atlantic [Article]
- Trump’s Proposed Sweeping Spending Pause Would Harm Americans – Center for American Progress
- The Consequences of a Federal Funding Freeze in the States – Center for American Progress – Center for American Progress
Understanding the Temporary Restraining Orders (TRO)
- Summary of the cases and Status Updates: Just Security Litigation Tracker
- Court response: U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan grants an adMotion for Temporary Restraining Order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia – Filed by a coalition of NGOs [Democracy Forward, SAGE, Main Street Alliance, the National Council of Nonprofits, and the American Public Health Association] [1/28/25]
- Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda – New York Times
- Supreme Court reinstates order for the Trump administration to un-freeze foreign aid [3.5.25]
- Motion for Temporary Restraining Order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia – Filed by a coalition of NGOs [Democracy Forward, SAGE, Main Street Alliance, the National Council of Nonprofits, and the American Public Health Association] [1/28/25]
- Request for Temporary Restraining Order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island – Filed by a coalition of 22 states and the District of Columbia, responding to OMB memo directing agencies to halt all funding that “that may be implicated by [President Trump’s] executive orders.”
Resources to Respond
- Accountable.US Intake Form [Submission form]
- National Council of Nonprofits Story Intake Form
- Fight Trump’s funding freeze to protect lifesaving care and research. – Protect Democracy [Resource Page]
- USAID Stop-Work – Specific to those impacted by USAID pause [Resource Page]
News from Senate and House Appropriations Committee Democrats
Senate:
- Senator Murray Statement on Continuing Resolution
- Senator Murray on Yearlong CR, DOGE’s Utter Lack of Transparency, and Elon Musk’s Glaring Conflicts of Interest
- FACT SHEET: Trump and Musk’s Plot to Make It Harder for Americans to Get Their Social Security Benefits
- FACT SHEET: Trump and Musk Endanger Veterans’ Care, Heartlessly Fire Thousands Who’ve Served in Uniform
- Senator Murray Blasts Trump Admin for Lawlessly Cancelling Lifesaving USAID, State Programs Important to America’s National Interests
- Murray, Kaptur Follow-Up, Demand Answers from Trump DOE as it Continues to Block Investments to Lower Americans’ Energy Costs
House:
- Statement on Year Long Continuing Resolution from Ranking Member DeLauro
- Fact Sheet on Year Long Continuing Resolution from Ranking Member DeLauro
- House Leadership Statement on Continuing Resolution
- Power Grab Full-Year Continuing Resolution Allows Elon Musk and President Trump to Accelerate Dismantling of the Government
- Delauro: Significant Problems with Full-Year Continuing Resolutions
- Murray, DeLauro Statement on Government Funding Talks
- Trump and Unchecked Billionaire Musk Have Fired Nearly 6,000 Veterans
- DeLauro and Clyburn: Unchecked Billionaire Musk’s FAA Takeover Puts Profits Over the Safety of the American People
What is impoundment?
- Impoundment Explainer – House Budget Committee
- Impoundment FAQs – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Trump and his allies are completely wrong about impoundments – The Hill
- This obscure budget procedure could be Trump’s biggest weapon – Vox
- Understanding the Impoundment Control Act – CREW
- Checking Presidential Impoundment of Federal Funds – Protect Democracy
Why is impoundment unconstitutional?
- Conservative Justices Have Rejected an Inherent Presidential Impoundment Power – Protect Democracy [Fact Sheet]
- Federal Courts Have Repeatedly Rejected Claims of an Inherent Constitutional Impoundment Power – Protect Democracy [Fact Sheet]
- Chief Justice John Roberts Already Came Out Against Federal Spending Freeze – Above the Law
- Brett Kavanaugh has very bad news for Donald Trump – Vox
- Trump’s Impoundment: Uninformed & Unconstitutional – House Appropriations Committee
- How Trump and a Project 2025 Lead Author Are Trying To Undermine Checks and Balances Central to U.S. Governance – Center for American Progress
- The impoundment threat, explained – Protect Democracy
- The President Has No Constitutional Power of Impoundment – Yale Journal on Regulation
- Trump wants Nixon’s impoundment power. What’s impoundment? – Good Authority [Article]
- Taking Appropriations Seriously – Columbia Law School Scholarship Archive
- B-135564 July 26, 1973 – GAO Ruling on the constitutionality of impoundment
- Trump risks legal clashes in plans to not spend appropriations – Roll Call
- Unlawful Funding Freeze Sows Chaos – David Super, Legal Scholar
- DOGE & Impoundment: Trump’s unlawful plot to grab power at the people’s expense – Court Accountability
Trump Use of Impoundment in His First Term
- Withholding of Ukraine Security Assistance – GAO Ruling
- The Ukraine Supplemental Includes a Hidden Impeachment Clause Against President Trump – JD Vance [Congressional Letter, 2024]
- Holding Up Ukraine Aid Was Illegal. Trump’s Team Knew Before GAO Said So – Washington Post
Who is Russell Vought?
Vought Nomination
- The man with a plan to upend government, and what it entails – Roll Call [Article]
- Russ Vought’s Article I takeover – Protect Democracy [Article]
- Spending freeze mess shows Trump’s pick isn’t right for OMB – Washington Post
- Key Moments from Vought’s Confirmation Hearings
- Line of Questioning from Sen. Patty Murray [Statement]
- Line of Questioning from Sen. Gary Peters [Video]
- Statement from Budget Ranking Member Sen. Jeff Merkley [Statement]
Federal Funding Targeted by Project 2025/Russell Vought
- Project 2025 Would Destroy the U.S. System of Checks and Balances and Create an Imperial Presidency – Center for American Progress
- Trump’s Project 2025 Shapes Republicans’ 2025 Funding Bills – House Appropriations Committee
- A Commitment to End Woke and Weaponized Government – Center for Renewing America
- The History of Impoundments Before the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 – Center for Renewing America
- Primer: Utilizing Impoundment to Control Federal Spending – Center for Renewing America
- Agenda47: Using Impoundment to Cut Waste, Stop Inflation, and Crush the Deep State – Trump Vance 2025
Additional Resources
Understanding the Federal budget
- Record Federal Grants to States Keep Federal Share of State Budgets High – Pew Research Center
- Understanding the Funding Process from Appropriations to Apportionment & Disbursements – National Archives
- Impacts of Federal Grants and Other Funds on State and Local Budgets – Congressional Research Service
Power of the Purse Act, HR 6628 (116th Congress)
- Reclaiming Congress’ Power of the Purse – House Budget Committee [Fact Sheet]
- Protecting Congress’ Power of the Purse and the Rule of Law – House Budget Committee on the Power of the Purse Act [Video]
- Hearing on Protecting Congress’ Power of the Purse and Rule of Law – House Budget Committee Hearing Report [Report]
- Power of the Purse Coalition Letter – Coalition of Organizations [Congressional Letter, 2021]
- Congressional Power of the Purse Act – House Budget Committee [Bill Text]