The Logoff: What is up with Trump’s plan to freeze federal spending?

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Welcome to The Logoff. Today’s edition is about Donald Trump’s attempt to freeze a huge portion of federal spending, a move that has implications for millions of Americans who depend on government programs and for the long-term balance of power.

What payments is Trump trying to freeze? So far, there’s mass confusion. The order appears, broadly, to freeze grant funding that goes out to organizations, but not payments to individuals. Medicare and Social Security are not affected, but nobody seems clear on what’s happening to Medicaid (though the latest thinking is that it’s safe), and interpretations conflict on other programs, like food stamps.

When does this go into effect? It was set to go into effect at 5 pm today, but a federal judge just issued a temporary halt on the spending freeze while judges review it. So for now, we’re in limbo.

How long is the pause intended to last? Agencies have until February 10 to review the spending to see if it aligns with Trump’s priorities. What happens after that is unclear.

Is this a big deal? Extremely. We’re talking about billions of dollars and programs that provide day-to-day aid for people in need.

Is this normal? Not at all. Presidents occasionally pause certain grant funding for review, but two things make this exceptional: the scope of the freeze, which goes way, way beyond what Trump’s predecessors have done, and the fact that Trump has threatened to cancel some spending entirely.

Is this legal? Buckle up. There’s disagreement over whether even pausing this spending is legal, and that’s already being challenged in court. But the big question is what happens if Trump follows through on his promise to fully cancel some spending that Congress has authorized. That move — known as “impoundment” — is illegal under US law. But Trump’s team says that law is unconstitutional, and the fight seems likely to go all the way to the Supreme Court.

And if the Supreme Court were to side with Trump, it would hand much of Congress’s control of spending over to the president — a massive rebalancing of power within the federal government.

I was intrigued by this story about what appears to be a piece of the moon that broke off eons ago and is now on its own orbital journey. It’s a nice reminder that the universe is full of mysteries. I’ll see you back here tomorrow.