Judge blocks Trump administration from freezing funding without congressional approval

A second federal judge on Thursday issued a nationwide injunction blocking the Trump administration from freezing federal funding without going through Congress -- offering a scathing critique of what he said was the White House's attempt to disrupt the separation of powers.

The order prohibits the Trump administration from "reissuing, adopting, implementing, giving effect to, or reinstating under a different name" a short-lived directive issued by the Office of Management and Budget that froze billions in funds.

"The Executive's categorical freeze of appropriated and obligated funds fundamentally undermines the distinct constitutional roles of each branch of our government," U.S. District Judge John McConnell wrote. "The interaction of the three co-equal branches of government is an intricate, delicate, and sophisticated balance -- but it is crucial to our form of constitutional governance. Here, the Executive put itself above Congress."

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