(The Center Square) – A federal judge Thursday blocked the Trump administration from freezing up to $3 trillion in funding for federal agency grants, loans and other financial assistance.
Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted a preliminary injunction that was requested by attorneys general for 22 states and the District of Columbia.
The attorneys general sued the Trump administration Jan. 28 to prevent the funding freeze.
McConnell’s ruling extends a previous block that the federal court imposed with a temporary restraining order on Jan. 31.
In his written decision, McConnell accused the executive branch of placing itself above Congress, an equal branch of government.
The Trump administration can only take actions on funding if it’s authorized to do so by laws passed by Congress, McConnell said.
“The Executive’s categorical freeze of appropriated and obligated funds fundamentally undermines the distinct constitutional roles of each branch of our government,” the judge wrote.
McConnell’s ruling was praised by the attorneys general in the suit, which was led by New York Attorney General Letia James.
Other plaintiffs are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
The prosecutors have accused the Trump administration of acting illegally and recklessly by imposing the cuts, which they noted in statements Thursday would have affected everything from community health centers to schools and resources for firefighters.
“Last month, the Trump administration chaotically implemented a sweeping federal funding freeze, halting access to billions of dollars in funds lawfully appropriated by Congress,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “In doing so, it willfully ignored the immediate devastation a freeze would have on the health, safety and wellbeing of communities and businesses across the country.”
Bonta called McConnell’s ruling “an important victory for the rule of law and for the many programs throughout our state that rely on federal funding to carry out their mission.”
He vowed the attorneys general would continue to work to get a permanent ruling against the federal funding freeze.
California this year is expected to receive $168 billion in federal funding, or 34% of the state’s budget, according to Bonta’s office. That includes $107.5 billion in California’s Medicaid programs, which serve about 14.5 million Californians, including 5 million children and 2.3 million seniors and people with disabilities.
More than 9,000 full-time equivalent state jobs are federally funded in California, Bonta’s office said.
The Trump administration’s freeze on funding could have affected California’s law enforcement, public safety, critical transportation infrastructure, water quality and workplace health and safety, according to Bonta’s office. The attorney general’s staff also cited Head Start, education services for students with disabilities and research projects at state universities as programs that depend on federal funding.
In Arizona, Attorney General Kim Mayes called the preliminary injunction a victory for her state’s residents.
“I won’t stand by while the Trump administration puts itself above Congress and withholds resources that families, public safety and health care providers depend on,” Mayes said.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said his state would have been devastated by federal cuts to everything from lifesaving health care to resources for firefighters.
Thursday’s preliminary injunction against the funding freeze was the second one issued by a federal judge. The first such injunction was imposed last month by U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan in another lawsuit in Washington, D.C. That suit was filed by a group of nonprofits.

(The Center Square) – More Wisconsin voters disapprove of President Donald Trump’s performance than approve with 51% disapproving and 48% approving, according to a new Marquette Law School poll.
Meanwhile, 90% of Republicans approve of Trump’s work while just 2% of Democrats approve. On the state level, 49% approve of the job being done by Gov. Tony Evers while 44% disapprove.
The results came from a poll that asked questions to 864 registered Wisconsin voters between Feb. 19 and 26.
The voters were asked if Trump freezing spending and closing federal government agencies was beyond his control with 59% of Wisconsin voters saying it was beyond his authority and 40% believing the president has that authority without congressional approval.
Only 32% of voters believe that Trump’s tariffs will help the U.S. economy while 51% said it will hurt the economy.
Voters also are skeptical of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is properly carrying out Trump’s agenda with 53% saying it is disrupting programs required by law. Musk is viewed unfavorably by 53% of voters and favorably by 41%.
Wisconsin voters were supportive of the deportation of immigrants by the Trump Administration with 61% supporting the initiative and 38% opposed. Those voters, however, were evenly split at 50% a side when asked if those who have been in the country for years, have jobs and no criminal record should be deported.
Wisconsin voters were also supportive of requiring photo ID to vote with 77% supporting the measure and 22% opposed.

(The Center Square) – One of Wisconsin’s Republican congressmen says he’s not going to let potential protesters scare him away from talking to voters.
Congressman Bryan Steil was on News Talk 1130 WISN recently and said he has no plans to change his town hall meeting schedule.
‘I’ve done a series of town halls already this year across southeast Wisconsin,” Steil said. “I hold town halls with a history of being available and accessible, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
A number of Republicans have recently seen angry crowds at town halls protesting potential Medicaid cuts.
Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, including President Donald Trump, have called them “protesters professionals.”
Richard Hudson, the, National Republican Congressional Committee chair told Republican congressmen earlier this week to stop holding in-person town halls because of the protests.
Steil said the “fear mongering on the left is really unhelpful.”
“We have to go out and explain to people what is actually occurring in Washington, D.C.,” Steil said. “So, we have to go back and tell our side of the story. And continuing that pattern of being available and accessible is something that I plan on continuing to do.”
Steil framed any talk of cuts to Medicaid as protecting the system for “the least among us.”
“The program has expanded to pick up people that shouldn’t be receiving benefits in the manner they are,” Steil said.
Steil said Trump has made it clear there’s no intention to cut benefits for the single parents, elderly folks, or people with disabilities who Medicaid has traditionally cared for.
Northwoods Congressman Tom Tiffany and Congressman Glenn Grothman have also said they also plan to continue with town hall meetings.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue has returned $9.9 million to residents of the state.
The funds are unclaimed property that can include funds from savings or checking accounts, uncashed dividends, insurance policies and other accounts that could have been forgotten by the owner.
Residents can search to see if they have unclaimed funds on the department’s website.
Banks, credit unions, insurance companies and other businesses are required to report unclaimed property to the department each year by Nov. 1.
The department then sent 470 notices to people have more than $2,000 in unclaimed property, which amounted to $4.4 million.
The department also sent $3.5 million worth of checks to 30,342 people who were identified as having less than $2,000 in unclaimed property.
Another 216 residents received both a letter and a check, a category of people who received $1.8 million in returned funds.
“It’s our duty to reunite rightful owners with their unclaimed property,” said Department of Revenue Secretary Designee of Revenue David Casey. “At a time when many are struggling, the Department of Revenue is proud to play a role in providing financial relief. By returning almost $10 million in unclaimed property this March, we’re hoping to ease some of the burden facing our citizens.”
The returned funds are just part of the total unclaimed funds the department has in its control.

(The Center Square) – Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal would spend down more than $4 billion of the state’s expected $4.3 billion surplus if it is enacted, according to a new analysis from Wisconsin Policy Forum.
The surplus has been spent down by $2.8 billion over the past two years after an influx of federal funding during COVID-19 pandemic led the surplus to rise to over $7 billion before the state’s current biennial budget was enacted.
The analysis comes after Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, estimated that Evers’ proposal would lead to $3 billion in tax increases over the two-year span as well.
The budget proposal included $25.49 billion in state general fund spending in fiscal year 2026, which would represent a 19.2% increase from the current fiscal year. The proposal then would have $24.99 billion in spending in fiscal 2017, according to Wisconsin Policy Forum.
General fund spending uses state taxes such as income and sales tax that covers spending such as K-12 and higher education, health care, state prisons and local aids and property tax relief.
“Some further use of the state’s massive surplus is expected and welcome given the state’s many challenges,” the budget brief says. “But taxpayers have good reason to watch both sides in this process carefully to ensure the final budget does not erode too many of the state’s hard-won financial gains.”
The largest proposed budgetary increases are for K-12 education with a $34 billion increase to the Department of Public Instruction over two years with $1.1 billion additional to local governments and tax relief, $691.6 million more to the University of Wisconsin system, $601.2 million additional to the Department of Children and Families for child care, $522.3 million additional to the Department of Corrections to cover rising costs from employee raises and other factors and $422 million additional to the state’s Public Service Commission for broadband expansion.
“Some ongoing drawdown of the state surplus to meet the needs of Wisconsin residents is expected and appropriate in the 2025-27 budget,” the analysis says. “The question is how much. Under the governor’s proposal, the state would increase general fund taxes by more than $2 billion but still end up using most of the remaining balance in the fund to help cover new spending on K-12 and higher education, child care, aid to local governments and a variety of other priorities.”

(The Center Square) – A Republican Senator and conservative group are speaking out against Wisconsin’s proposed Right of First Refusal bill following a public hearing on Senate Bill 28 this week.
The bill, introduced by Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, would allow the utilities to pick the company that will handle their construction work, without having to offer bids to other companies or firms.
The utilities say it will save taxpayers $1 billion over the coming years.
But Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin believes it will result in higher rates for consumers and all ratepayers by making the process monopolistic. The group issued a report showing how it would cost taxpayers and all ratepayers more for energy.
“Thankfully, we have principled lawmakers on the side of their constituents working tirelessly to oppose this bill and prevent rate hikes for Wisconsin families and businesses,” said AFP-Wisconsin State Director Megan Novak. “AFP-WI thanks Rep. Tranel for his thoughtful questions on behalf of his constituents during the joint hearing yesterday and Rep. Knodl for testifying against the bill and standing up for ratepayers.”
Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, wrote a letter to his colleagues that he released saying that leadership of the Senate and Assembly have decided the bill “must be rammed through the legislative process” to placate the utility companies.
“The ROFR bill is anti-competitive, anti-consumer and dripping in the gravy of crony capitalism,” Nass wrote. “Sadly, the debate in the Capitol surrounding ROFR is not about fair and effective energy policy for the ratepayers of this state. ROFR is nothing more than the most blatant example of everything wrong with politics in Wisconsin.”
Nass said that he believes the bill doesn’t have the needed 50 Republican votes in the Assembly or 17 Republican votes in the Senate despite the lobbyists at the capitol pushing the bill.
Nass cited an amendment to the bill that would repeal parts of the law if the president signed an executive order, Congress makes a law or a federal energy issues a rule about the process.
“The amendment developed by the utility lobbyists is dubious in legal terms and a sham to give Republicans cover to vote for ROFR,” Nass wrote. “I hope my Republican colleagues in both houses will reject this brazen attempt to deceive the people of Wisconsin.”