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Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, 2 nights ago, the Trump administration committed a breathtaking act of economic sabotage. In the blink of an eye, OMB announced a near-universal freeze on all Federal grant funding. Donald Trump's actions can be summarized with three C's: chaotic, careless, cruel. It is a gross overreach by Republicans, and it is no surprise that the American people are furious.

Last night, a Federal judge issued an administrative stay of OMB's announcement, but the danger is not over, not by any means. Donald Trump and his ultraright puppet Russell Vought will keep trying to make this freeze happen.

Today, I will speak to Democratic Governors around the country to discuss how this freeze is hurting their States and talk about coordinating our responses against this gross abuse of Presidential power.

The blast radius of OMB's announcement was seemingly limitless-- States, cities, towns, schools, small businesses, local law enforcement, nutrition services, elderly care, and so much more were impacted. It is as if OMB designed their announcement to maximize chaos and confusion and suffering for the American people.

Make no mistake, this decision from OMB is Project 2025 in action-- Project 2025 by another name.

Donald Trump's lawless behavior fits a pattern. First, he pardoned insurrectionists. Then, he fired independent watchdogs and labor commissioners. And now he is freezing--freezing--congressionally approved funding.

Before our eyes, Donald Trump is rigging the system and breaking the law to help his billionaire friends at the expense of working families.

I got calls yesterday from Republican town supervisors and mayors in panic about flood prevention and sewer projects, who told me they had shovel-ready projects to go but now those projects were in limbo. I got calls from food banks, like FeedMore in Western New York, fearful that suddenly they won't be able to make deliveries to hungry people. I got calls from groups like Rochester Head Start, worried sick they are not going to be able to pay rent or pay their staff. I got calls from the Roswell Park Cancer Center in Buffalo and Northwell Hospital on Long Island, asking if funding was suddenly going to vanish.

How is freezing all of this funding going to help families pay for groceries or make neighborhoods safer or create new jobs? Of course, it won't. In fact, it is going to do the opposite.

One week ago, OMB nominee Russell Vought refused to answer in testimony questions about the impoundment of congressional funds. Now we know why. He did not want to alert Congress about this freeze on funding. Mr. Vought clearly withheld information that Senators were entitled to know, and he needs to give us more answers.

The Senate Budget Committee should not proceed with Mr. Vought's confirmation until we get answers. I join my fellow Democrats in calling for a 2-week delay of Mr. Vought's markup.

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