Temporary restraining order issued against Trump federal funding freeze in Illinois

A federal judge on Friday issued a temporary retraining order that prohibits President Donald Trump’s administration from imposing a federal funding freeze, according to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

Hours after Trump’s administration issued a memo announcing a funding freeze on all federal funding that set off a chaotic response from service agencies nationwide which rely on that money to aid area residents, Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit arguing that Trump’s action violated the U.S. Constitution.

“Despite President Trump’s actions since taking office, Jan. 20 was an inauguration – not a coronation of a leader to whom our nation’s Constitution does not apply,“ Raoul said in a news release. ”I am pleased the judge agreed with our coalition that the president cannot interrupt funding appropriated by the separate, but equal, legislative branch of government.”

The memo was rescinded Wednesday, though local agencies across northern Illinois expressed concerns that such sweeping orders could significantly impact their ability to address residents' needs such as access to Medicaid, which provides health care to low-income people, affordable housing vouchers, meal services and more.

The restraining order issued Friday by Rhode Island federal Judge John J. McConnell is in effect until the court rules on Raoul and other states' motion for preliminary injunction, according to a news release.

“Illinois relies on this federal funding to support our state’s most vulnerable residents who depend on Medicaid, to enhance public safety by protecting children from online predators, and to support the farming industry that serves as the backbone of Illinois’ economy,” Raoul said in a news release. “We will continue to fight the callous uncertainty this order has caused to hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents’ daily lives.”

In his order, Judge McConnell said, “Congress has not given the Executive limitless power to broadly and indefinitely pause all funds that it has expressly directed to specific recipients and purposes and therefore the Executive’s actions violate the separation of powers,” according to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

Officials argued a federal funding freeze would “devastate critical programs” such as WIC, a nutrition program for pregnant parents and infants, Head Start, which provides preschool and other services for low-income families, and other federally-funded programs that provide needed services such as housing, health care, domestic violence support and other initiatives.

Hours before President Donald Trump’s administration was due to put a freeze on federal grants and loans, agencies in Illinois were unable to access federal funding sites, including Medicaid.

Shaw Local News Network confirmed with Gov. JB Pritzker’s office on Tuesday afternoon that the state had been shut out. Tuesday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on social media site X that the White House was aware of the Medicaid website not working.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza also issued a statement Friday in response to the temporary restraining order on a federal funding freeze.

Mendoza’s office oversees Medicaid payments for Illinoisans. She said Friday her office is closely monitoring the situation and “will keep getting payments out as fast as we can.”

“Millions of Illinois residents, young and old, urban and rural, Republican and Democrat, who receive federally funded state services can be thankful that a federal judge today blocked the Trump administration’s confusing, unconstitutional and dangerous funding freeze,” Mendoza said in a news release.

“Veterans and poor people who need health care in all 102 counties of Illinois, college students trying to finish their semesters, and school kids in Head Start programs should not be held hostage to political games,” Mendoza said.

Raoul and Mendoza said the Trump administration’s memo, and subsequent rescinding of the order, has caused panic for many in Illinois.

“Even as presidential staff try to backpedal, this week has been filled with panic for our most vulnerable residents,” Mendoza said. “These actions create chaos rather than stability and predictability, putting American lives at risk.”

Raoul’s office is co-leading the lawsuit that was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, according to a news release.