The Big Money Grab

I’m writing for The Big Picture substack today. By now you may have seen or read the headlines. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget has ordered a freeze on disbursements of ALL federal assistance and grants, totally somewhere in the trillions, at least they claim. If they really do mean all, that includes critical social safety net programs like Medicaid as well as grant funding for schools, universities and research programs, on top of foreign aid and assistance to nonprofits.

It’s a huge amount that will affect millions of people. And everyone has a lot of questions, not the least of which is, “Can they really do that?!”

I’ll take a deeper dive into the shaky legal footing of this move, as well as its likely downstream effects if we can’t fully stop it from happening. The Trump White House is making its biggest power grab yet by coming for effective control of the federal purse, which is supposed to belong solely to Congress. It’s a perilous time, and staying in the know, and being able to help others understand what’s happening, will be critical.

If you’re already a free or paid subscriber to The Big Picture, I’ll see you later this afternoon. If you’d like to sign up now, you can do so here (as a free or paid subscriber), and my piece will in arrive later in your inbox:

I know there’s a lot coming at us very quickly. It can often feel overwhelming. My job here is to help make better sense of it, as well as to provide reassurances where I can. This latest move by Trump’s people is pretty “up there” in importance, so I hope you take the time to read it later.

Jay