KSNV: Nevadans search for answers into who could be impacted by President Trump's funding freeze
Las Vegas (KSNV) — President Donald Trump's ordered to freeze federal financial assistance was temporarily blocked by a federal judge on Tuesday.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford announced he joins 22 other states in filing a lawsuit against Trump for threatening to withhold the essential federal funding.
Many people from lawmakers to community members saying there are more questions than answers when it comes to the president's directing, uncertain of who exactly would be impacted.
In the meantime, the judge's order will be in place through February 3rd.
Meaning the president administration cannot suspend any congressionally appropriated funds until then.
"This is not a blanket pause on federal assistance and grant programs from the Trump administration," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a briefing just hours before the order was blocked.
Institutions like universities, k-12 school districts, non-profits, and health care organizations among the many potentially impacted before a judge put the temporary halt.
The order would have potentially impacted millions of Americans.
"Our state budget is about 30% reliant on federal funding. We have hundreds, thousands of nonprofits here that provide critical services to people with disabilities, to seniors, to veterans that you know, sometimes," said Rep. Susie Lee, (D) Nevada. "Their budgets are between 20 and 50% reliant on federal funding."
Dr. Rebecca Gill, an associate professor of political science at UNLV, gave a generic example of how the president's directive could impact higher education.
"It can be medical research. It can be all sorts of different scientific exploration, DNA research, all of this," said Gill. "And so that money comes from the federal government, and it goes to the universities, where these, you know, where these researchers are housed."
News 3 also spoke with an anonymous source from Southern Nevada.
She works for a consulting company that works with community health centers nationwide to provide federal grant management support.
She says clients were scrambling to access grant money before the Trump administration's pause, thankful when a judge put a temporary stop.
"Some of the smaller health centers, especially in rural communities, this is their main source of funding," said the woman. "And so, if they don't, if they aren't able to draw down on their grant, they are not going to meet payroll. And so our advice is to look at loan options from their bank. There may be layoffs if they cannot support operations."
She says patients would take a major hit.
"Primarily medical, dental, behavioral health support services, and also, besides supporting the low income and uninsured," she said. "Some of these health centers also have special population funding for homeless and migrant health centers."
Congresswoman Lee says she also heard from concerned constituents Tuesday morning.
"I have a constituent whose daughter was accepted to pharmacy school, and because that funding has been frozen, they were hit with the $22,000 bill for her tuition because she had a fellowship through the NIH," said Lee. "We have reports from constituents who are waiting or from people in this country who are waiting for bone marrow, plant transplants, critical cancer clinical trials, many of those are being put on hold."
The president's directive has led some to question the Constitutionality to put such a vast freeze on grants.
"The Impoundment Act is aimed at ensuring that the priorities that are set forth by Congress in these laws that have funding attached, that those priorities are carried out unless there is subsequent legislation that changes that," said Gill. "But that isn't to say that there isn't a lot of wiggle room around the edges. And so, you know, if you look at the case law, you will see that there's a lot of nuance with, you know, the situations where a president does have the discretion to make decisions about how to implement things."