The Latest: Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump's federal funding freeze

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans that could total trillions of dollars and cause disruptions in health care research, education programs and other initiatives.

The White House announced plans to enforce the pause on federal grants and loans Tuesday as President Donald Trump’s administration begins an across-the-board ideological review of its spending. The move was defended by Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary, who made her debut in the briefing room Tuesday.

Democrats were pushing back, with attorneys general announcing a lawsuit asking a federal judge to block the Republican president’s moves.

Here's the latest:

Trump hamstrings anti-discrimination agency

Trump fired the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Charlotte Burrows and Vice Chair Jocelyn Samuels late Monday night, according to Tuesday statements from both women.

The EEOC is comprised of five commissioners and enforces federal laws that prohibit discrimination in the workplace. With one existing vacancy, this move cuts the EEOC down to two commissioners, rendering it unable to reach a quorum.

Samuels, originally appointed by Trump in 2020 and then again nominated by Biden for a second term, said the move “violates the law, and represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the EEOC as an independent agency.”

Burrows, who served under Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden and whose term was set to expire in 2028, retained attorneys Lisa Banks and Debra Katz following her removal. Banks said Trump’s decision “will weaken the civil rights protections afforded American workers in workplaces across the country.”

Federal workers union head says Trump’s buyout offers will ‘cause chaos’

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, says the number of civil servants hasn’t meaningfully changed since 1970, but there are more Americans than ever who rely on government services.

He says in a statement that purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have “vast, unintended consequences.”

Kelley says the offer should not be viewed as voluntary. He says between the “flurry of anti-worker” executive orders and policies, it’s clear the Trump administration’s goal is to turn the federal government into “a toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to.”

Rubio grants foreign aid suspension waiver for all life-saving assistance

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed a waiver to allow U.S. foreign aid to continue to be spent on “life-saving” humanitarian assistance while other programs are suspended pending a review.

Rubio’s order signed Tuesday allows the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to at least temporarily keep spending money for programs that provide life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter and subsistence assistance, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.

It also allows for money to be spent on supplies and “reasonable” administrative costs. The waiver expands the exemptions from the freeze from what had previously been only emergency food aid.

Rubio’s waiver does not cover programs that deal with abortion, family planning, conferences or anything related to diversity, equity and inclusion or gender-affirming care.

Trump offers all federal workers a buyout with 8 months’ pay in effort to shrink size of government

The White House on Tuesday began offering buyouts worth eight months of salary to all federal employees who opt to leave their jobs by Feb. 6 — part of President Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the U.S. government.

A memo from the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s human resources agency, lists four directives that it says Trump is mandating for the federal workforce, including that most workers return to their offices full-time.

It includes a “deferred resignation letter” for federal employees wishing to participate.