Senior White House officials had not reviewed the Office of Management and Budget's sweeping order freezing federal grants and loans before it was issued, sources say.
A federal judge in Rhode Island has formally blocked the Trump administration's spending freeze, saying in it is likely a violation of the Constitution.
The Justice Department argued that the lawsuit by 22 states was moot because the Trump administration recently rescinded its spending memo. The judge disagreed.
US District Court Judge John “Jack” McConnell wrote that the federal government cannot pause, freeze, block, cancel, or terminate awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to ...