Arizona AG Kris Mayes holds news conference on federal funding freeze

PHOENIX – Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes held a news conference on Tuesday to talk about the recently-announced federal funding freeze.

The freeze, which was announced earlier on Jan. 28, is set to take effect at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

What is being affected by the pause?

Big picture view:

Per the Associated Press, the decision by the Republican administration could affect trillions of dollars, and cause widespread disruption in health care research, education programs and other initiatives.

Even grants that have been awarded but not spent are supposed to be halted.

What they’re saying:

“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and Green New Deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” said a memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget.

What we know:

According to Vaeth’s memo, Medicare and Social Security benefits won’t be affected by the pause.

Meanwhile, officials with the Department of Education say the pause does not apply to grants received directly by individuals, which includes more than 40 million Americans with federal student loans and 7 million with federal Pell Grants for low-income students.

Per the AP, the White House has also said that Medicaid would not be affected by the freeze. However, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) claimed that Medicaid portals were down in all 50 states due to Trump’s federal funding freeze.

What we don’t know:

There was no explanation of whether the pause would affect programs like food stamps and disaster assistance.

News conference to focus on what the AG intends to do

In a brief statement, officials with Mayes’ office said she will make “an announcement about action she will be taking alongside other attorneys general to stop Trump’s illegal federal funding freeze.”

Earlier in the day, Mayes criticized the pause on social media.

What She Said:

“Children could miss out on school lunches, victims of crime could lose critical assistance, and law enforcement agencies could be defunded across the country if it stands,” read a portion of a post Mayes made on X (formerly Twitter). “This is a blatant violation of federal law and we will not allow it to stand.”

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