Washington, DC – Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement after a federal judge’s decision to temporarily block the Trump Administration’s freeze on foreign aid funding: 

“The court’s temporary injunction independently confirms what I’ve said all along—the Trump Administration’s reckless freeze on critical foreign assistance that Congress appropriated is a shortsighted and illegal abuse of power. If the Trump Administration wants to review or revise various foreign assistance efforts, they could do so without an arbitrary, wholesale freeze—and in consultation with Congress. Instead, President Trump has needlessly jeopardized the health and safety of millions of people around the world, upended the lives of thousands of Americans who work to implement U.S. assistance programs, wasted U.S. taxpayer dollars, and put our national security interests at risk. 

“It is clear from President Trump and Elon Musk’s comments that eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse was never their real purpose; if it was, they would not have fired 21 Inspectors General across the government, including the USAID Inspector General a day after he issued a report on the dangerous consequences of the sudden aid freeze. Though temporary, I welcome the court’s ruling as a critical step in holding President Trump and his co-President Musk accountable and restoring the rule of law in our foreign policy. House Democrats remain committed to reversing these illegal and harmful executive actions.” 

###