The Trump administration’s freeze on trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans — which was rescinded Wednesday after a broad backlash — shows how the White House is intent on remaking the federal government, according to U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner.
During a late-morning news conference in his Warwick office, Magaziner spoke before the federal freeze was lifted. He said it had the potential to devastate low- and moderate-income Rhode Islanders.
“This isn’t just political games and it’s not just government employees who are going to be impacted,” Magaziner said. “Your utility bills are going to go up, your healthcare bills are going to go up, your cost of putting kids in child care are going to go up, if this federal funding is cut off.”
Magaziner, a Democrat, said the freeze on previously allocated money was blatantly illegal “since the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse,” and he said it offered a window on the intention of the Trump administration.
“This is what Donald Trump and the Project 2025 authors have been planning for years and they’re not just going to roll over and give up,” the Second District representative said.
This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.
