White House orders freeze on federal aid to focus on Trump's conservative agenda
Jan. 28, 2025, 5:03 PM GMT+5
President Donald Trump has ordered a freeze to domestic and foreign federal aid in a sweeping attempt to stop government funding for "woke" causes that don't fit with his agenda.
A memo sent out Monday night and seen by NBC News from Matthew J. Vaeth, acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the changes would go into effect Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET and relate to a string of executive orders Trump has signed since taking office last week.
“Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal,” Vaeth said.
The memo said the pause would allow “time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President’s priorities.”
The memo noted an exception for Social Security and Medicare and direct payments to individuals, saying those benefits would not be affected.
Vaeth said in the memo that agencies must “immediately identify” any legally mandated actions or deadlines that could come up during the pause.