Republicans largely back Trump's attempted federal aid freeze — with some notes of caution
Elected Republicans in Washington and around the country were largely supportive of the Trump administration's attempted move to freeze federal aid programs.
Elected Republicans in Washington and around the country largely supported the Trump administration's attempt to freeze federal aid programs amid the chaos and confusion sparked by the budget office's sweeping directive.
Across the board, GOP members of Congress and governors generally said that they backed the idea of reviewing federal spending and that the order was in line with President Donald Trump's campaign promises. Still, a few said it was important for the White House to provide more clarity to ensure certain services weren't affected.
“This is not unusual for an administration to pause funding and to take a hard look and scrub of how these programs are being spent and how they interact with a lot of the executive orders that the president signed,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters when he was asked whether Republicans plan to accept Trump's move or assert the power of the purse given to Congress.
“I think that’s the main criteria they’re using is: Do the executive orders implicate funding in this particular way? They have taken certain things off the table. ... They’re providing additional clarity and guidance on that. And hopefully they will further clarify what exactly will be impacted by this.”
As Democrats blasted it as an authoritarian move by Trump to withhold money from the middle class to help finance tax breaks for the wealthy, many Republicans praised the freeze — offering remarks that were reminders that Trump's honeymoon period with members of his party continues.
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