LOUISVILLE, Ky. — President Donald Trump’s controversial federal funding freeze, which a federal judge temporarily paused, has garnered mixed reactions from Kentucky officials.
If the actions hold, it could cripple the operations of numerous federally funded programs in Kentucky.
“Ninety percent of Louisville Metro Housing Authority is funded by the federal government," said Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville. "They serve 30,000 residents. That’s just one of many examples beyond just the traditional grants. Maintaining the flow of federal funds into our city to help individuals is critically important."
Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, called Trump's actions unconstitutional.
“I think, as we’ve seen with Donald Trump, both in his first term and now, chaos is part of the strategy," McGarvey said. "He is doing something that is unconstitutional. Constitution, Article 1, you don’t have to read far, says that Congress has the power of the purse, and he is stopping money that Congress has appropriated."
McGarvey added cutting off federal funding is “already having a really chaotic and potentially disastrous impact in Louisville.”
Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington, supported the sweeping move by the president.
“What we’re talking about here is a president who actually is a steward of the taxpayer dollar," Barr said. "I applaud President Trump for doing this; it’s the right thing to do."
“I believe President Trump is doing exactly what he was elected to do."
Rep. James Comer, R-Tompkinsville, said he sees too much evidence of mismanagement of funds, including the possibility of fraud, in terms of how federal dollars are being used.
“I can tell you, as chairman of the oversight committee, we requested a lot of information from the Biden administration," Comer said. "We never got anything. They were the least transparent administration in history, so we’re just trying to get a handle on everything."
Before the order was blocked in court, 23 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block this federal funding freeze. California and New York are leading the lawsuit.
