The Trump administration sent a second demand to federal agencies on Tuesday as the White House carries out its sweeping freeze of federal assistance, undermining laws Congress has enacted in recent years.
The White House budget office is circulating a 52-page document ordering agencies to answer 14 questions by the end of next week for each program that “has funding or activities planned through March 15.”
The spreadsheet, obtained by POLITICO, covers thousands of programs, including many that send assistance each month to U.S. households, like food aid to “very low-income” people age 60 and over, the home energy program that helps cover winter heating costs for the poorest households and the WIC program that aids low-income pregnant mothers and babies.
The new directive follows Trump administration movement Monday night toward fulfilling the new president’s initial executive actions ordering the freeze of foreign aid and a broad range of other federal funding. The Office of Management and Budget’s order called for federal agencies to pause all federal assistance that could be targeted under President Donald Trump’s Day One demands.
