Legal defeat

Emergency appeal: US court stops Trump’s spending freeze

(Bild: APA/AP)

A US federal court has temporarily put the spending freeze imposed by President Donald Trump on federal funds amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars on hold. "Irreparable damage" is to be averted.  

Just minutes before it was set to take effect, federal judge Loren AliKhan on Tuesday granted an emergency motion filed by an advocacy group that argued the spending freeze could jeopardize thousands of federal programs, from health care to road construction. The court will hear the case again on Monday.

Judge AliKhan noted, according to media reports, that more time is needed to legally assess the impact of the order. "I think there is a risk of irreparable harm," she said, according to the news portal Politico. This means that the status quo will initially remain in place until 5 p.m. (local time) on Monday. During this time, the Trump administration may not suspend the disbursement of funds approved by Congress.

Nationwide uncertainty
The measure ordered by Trump at the beginning of the week had caused uncertainty across the country. The new US government had announced that it would freeze all federal grants and loans for the time being. It wanted to review these in line with the Republican president's priorities. This could have far-reaching consequences for education and healthcare programs as well as other initiatives.

Democratic attorneys general have already filed a lawsuit against the plans. They consider them unconstitutional. The halt would have a "devastating impact" on states that rely on federal aid for a significant portion of their budgets. Federal grants and loans affect almost all areas of Americans' lives.

Trump leaves Air Force One with First Lady Melania.

(Bild: APA/Associated Press)

Trump puts pressure on presidential plane 
In contrast, another matter close to Trump's heart is set to pick up speed: his confidant, tech billionaire Donald Trump, is to ensure that the construction of a new presidential aircraft is speeded up. He had already ordered two aircraft from Boeing during his first term of office - after years of delays, it is unclear whether one of them will even be handed over during Trump's current term of office. 

Trump's predecessor Joe Biden had the presidential aircraft redesigned.

(Bild: APA/AFP )

"The president wants the planes faster," said Boeing boss Kelly Ortberg on US broadcaster CNBC. That is why they are working with Musk and his team to accelerate the schedule.

Trump cuts funding for gender reassignment
Trump has also signed a decree that targets federal funding for gender reassignment treatments for children and adolescents. According to the text, it is now the "policy of the United States" to no longer support, fund or promote such interventions. The text describes such treatments as "chemical and surgical mutilation".

The Trump administration wants state insurance programs to exclude gender reassignment treatments for people under the age of 19 in future. Hospitals and universities that receive federal funding would also have to stop such procedures. The Ministry of Justice has been instructed to initiate measures to implement the decree. It can be assumed that it will be legally challenged.