Trump’s funding freeze pushes Democrats over the edge

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy President Donald Trump caused chaos late Monday evening when his Office of Management and Budget announced a sudden pause on federal grants, loans, and other types of financial assistance. Back in November, Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota was in a contemplative state, telling The Independent of Kamala Harris’s loss that “we lost, and we need to do better.” open image in gallery White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at the daily briefing at the White House in Washington and defended the spending pause Now, she is singularly focused on how the freeze could affect her consituents, saying she just spoke to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz about the chaos the sudden move is causing in their state. open image in gallery Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said she would oppose Donald Trump’s nominee to be Transportation Secretary because of the pause Interfering with Congress’s spending authority might be one of the few areas where both parties take umbrage. open image in gallery Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said ‘we’ve just got to sort through it and see how they ultimately implement’ the pause.