In today’s chronicles of “Devastating and Illegal Things Donald Trump Is Doing,” he issued a memo that illegally and recklessly halts federal grants and loans effective at 5pmET today. [1]

***This is an all-hands-on-deck moment that could negatively impact each of us. Add your name to our letter and tell your members of Congress to act immediately.

Trump’s illegal freeze potentially impacts a wide swath of vital programs that allow parents to work, children to thrive, people to contribute to their communities, and small businesses and our economy to run, like: Head Start, health care, disaster relief, school meals, veterans programs, public schools, elder care, clean water infrastructure, housing assistance, meals on wheels, and federal cancer trials, and so much more. If this sounds incredibly concerning and illegal it is!

***This is urgent. Join us in telling members of Congress ASAP: Hold the line and don’t let Trump illegally harm our families and our economy.

Americans want to lower costs, but with this move, President Trump is doing the opposite: Trump is increasing expenses for families and hurting small businesses. In fact, this move does nothing to drop the price of eggs or of housing, nor help businesses or the economy. Parents don’t want this and our economy can’t handle it! 

It’s important to also remember: Funding for these programs has already been made into law by Congress and President Biden, so erratically overturning them is illegal. [2] The “power of the purse” lies with Congress. Trump is not king. We have a Constitution and laws in this country. 

***Tell Congress now: Don’t let Trump illegally harm our families and our economy.

So, what’s happening? In an illegal and sweeping move, last night, President Donald Trump declared he was halting federal grants and loans effective at 5pmET tonight. The details of this memo are still a bit unknown. The only programs we know won’t be affected are Medicare and Social Security payments. Everything else is potentially up for grabs.

What would halting federal funding and grant loans mean in real terms? It would halt and (and if not addressed quickly) hurt a wide swath of programs in the areas of: Health care, education, child care, elder care, disaster relief, mental health, housing, loans for small businesses and small farmers, meals on wheels, and veterans benefits, and threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs. This would have a devastating impact on our families, communities, small businesses, and economy. 

And this isn’t just a list of programs. These are critical parts of the lives of families across our country and essential parts of the success of small businesses in every state. This will potentially cut hundreds of thousands of jobs. While the full scale of the impact of this illegal overreach is still becoming clear, we know hard working families and communities, as well as small business owners, will have their lives upended overnight by these sweeping halts to critical programs. Everything from housing assistance to infrastructure projects to child care funding could be impacted—there isn’t a community in this country that won’t be harmed and the fall out of this illegal measure will mean higher costs for families and people struggling, as well as detrimentally affect small businesses, in an already harsh economy. 

***To be blunt: We don't have Kings in this country and the Executive Branch can't unilaterally undo Congressional actions and duties provided by the Constitution. This power grab by Trump must be stopped. Take action now!. This power grab by Trump must be stopped. Take action now!

We’re not alone in raising the alarm. U.S. Senator Patty Murray and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democratic budget leaders in Congress, shared their alarm too in a letter they sent to President Trump at the White House late last night: “The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country. We write today to urge you in the strongest possible terms to uphold the law and the Constitution and ensure all federal resources are delivered in accordance with the law.” 

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also shares the alarm: “Congress approved these investments and they are not optional; they are the law. These grants help people in red states and blue states, support families, help parents raise kids, and lead to stronger communities. It will mean missed payrolls and rent payments and everything in between: chaos for everything from universities to non-profit charities.”

***Don’t delay. Join us in taking action ASAP. We have to let Congress know that we stand with them in upholding the law. Tell your members of Congress: Hold the line and don’t let Trump illegally harm our families and our economy.

The more of us who take action, the bigger our impact. So please share this action link on social media, forward this email to friends and family, and help build the pushback that’s needed in this moment.

Thank you for ALL you’re doing in this really hard time when you are needed more than ever.