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As Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier in the day, the nation’s Democratic attorneys general have come together and sued the Trump administration to block the OMB funding freeze from being implemented.
New York AG Letitia James announced during a media call:
Head Start was frozen in Michigan. Access to child development block grants were frozen in Maryland. At least 20 states have been frozen out of their Medicaid reimbursement systems, including New York. And in one state, it was reported that they were blocked out of their child support enforcement, and they cannot draw down on these funds.
Here in New York, we rely upon these critical services throughout our state, and these funds support health care in rural and underserved communities. They fund infrastructure repairs to fix New York’s roads and bridges. They support initiatives to take drugs off of our streets, stop dangerous crime rings, and keep communities safe.
In fact, last night in Arizona, 500 pounds of meth were seized thanks to federal programs that could be paused. Not only does this administration’s new policy put people at risk, but it is plainly unconstitutional. The president does not get to decide which laws to enforce and for whom. When Congress dedicates funding for a program, the president cannot pull that funding on a whim.
Later today, I am leading and joining with my colleagues. My fellow Democratic Attorney Generals in suing this administration to stop this illegal freeze of essential funds for our state. We will not stand for any illegal policy that puts essential services for millions of Americans at risk. And we work tirelessly overnight to ensure that that does not happen.
Our lawsuit will seek an order, a court order, to immediately stop the enforcement of the OMB policy and to preserve essential funding for Americans.
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The next time you think about skipping voting in an election, consider how vital these state AGs have already been in battling the Trump administration.
Democrats don’t have majorities in the House and Senate, but they do have state AGs who can take the Trump administration to court and fight for the American people.
Some of the biggest Trump-supporting states in the country that would be harmed the most by this funding freeze have AGs that have so far been silent.
It is Democrats who are standing up for the law and the Constitution. It is Democrats who are fighting so that people can get the services that they need.
Democrats are protecting our freedom, and without them, Trump would be able to do whatever he wanted.
What do you think about the Democratic AGs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.