Nevermind
“The Trump administration on Wednesday rescinded a memo from the Office of Management and Budget pausing federal assistance grants, according to reports from NBC News and The Washington Post.
“The memo caused a political uproar and confusion among recipients of federal grants, and it had seemingly set the stage for a constitutional showdown.”
I don’t know whether this is a permanent climb-down, or whether they’re just going to re-write the memo in hopes that it will survive judicial scrutiny over impoundment. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: The WH now says it was only the memo that was rescinded, but the executive order freezing federal funding is still in place. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the freeze, saying that rescinding the memo but not the order is a distinction without a difference.
Trump backs down for now
In addition to the political blowback they got from Congress people whose constituents were suddenly deprived of benefits and funds, they may have noticed what “The Lever” found: a 1985 memo of law written by Chief Justice Roberts when he was employed in the White House Counsel’s office under Reagan that recommended against attempting “impoundment” of appropriated funds as probably unconstitutional in rendering Congressional action on funding as merely advisory despite Congress being an independent branch of government. Perhaps the Trumpies are a little less eager to put the question through the court system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjYoNL4g5Vg
Sadly the ad will be longer than the clip.