The federal judge who halted President Trump's sweeping freeze on federal spending has doubled down on her initial ruling.
Judge Loren AliKhan of Washington, D.C, issued a temporary restraining order after non-profit groups complained that they still can't access funding - even after the administration claimed to undo the spending freeze.
"For many, the harms caused by the freeze are non-speculative, impending, and potentially catastrophic,” AliKhan, a Biden appointee, wrote.
At a Monday hearing, AliKhan heard from the Justice Department and lawyers representing a group of non-profit organizations that depend on federal funding.
Those groups say they are still having trouble accessing federal money despite the White House's apparent reversal last week.
A federal judge in Rhode Island has separately blocked the freeze, which is also being challenged by over 20 Democratic states.
"The fundamental question in this case is whether the president and his advisors can tell agencies that, consistent with their own statutory authorities, they should pause funding to ensure that the funding is executed consistent with the president's priorities," Justice Department lawyers said.
"The answer to that question has to be `yes.'"
As part of Trump's radical overhaul of the federal government, the White House paused $3 trillion in federal grants and loans to ensure that spending is aligned with Trump's priorities.
Democrats, disoriented by Trump's blitz of executive orders, rallied against the freeze and accused Trump of stepping on Congress' power of the purse to pinch programs for the poor and vulnerable.
A day after the judge initially blocked the administration's memo, it was rescinded by the Trump administration. The White House said the reversal was meant to end "confusion" surrounding the president's actions and that the recission should "effectively end" the court case.
In her Monday ruling, Judge AliKhan fired back, calling the memo's recission merely superficial and an attempt to block a court battle on a live issue.
She pointed to evidence from non-profit groups that the funding freeze is still active, as well as comments from press secretary Karoline Leavitt to that effect.
"The rescission, if it can be called that, appears to be nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to prevent this court from granting relief," the judge wrote in her order.
While the administration argues that a brief pause on spending is within Trump's authority, the judge disagreed, finding the Office of Management and Budget does not have a "blank check" to further Trump's agenda.
