Week number two of Donald Trump‘s second presidency is once again proving the stark contrast between a wannabe dictator who doesn’t understand the law (or politics or, maybe, um, anything) and governors like Tim Walz, who actually want to help Americans, not harm them.
In the wake of Trump attempting to stop federal grant funding and a judge halting this move for the time being, Walz posted on X, “We are working diligently to reverse this, but we are preparing for every outcome to help Minnesotans weather this storm.” He added, “Minnesota needs answers. We’ll see Trump in court.”
As The Associated Press pointed out, Trump hopes that federal spending will only be applied to the (disgusting) executive orders he’s putting in place, such as his anti-transgender policies. CNN reported that The Office of Management and Budget’s Monday Jan. 27, 2025 memo read there should be a stop “to all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance.” Although a judge stopped this spending freeze until next Monday, this is an unsettling sign of what’s to come.
The problem? Congress, not the president, is in charge of federal spending. And, no, that’s not something that those silly Democrats who Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is always going on about just randomly and magically decided on. That’s in the Constitution! People also call this “the power of the purse” (which makes it sound funnier than it is). So, despite Trump’s desire to do whatever he feels like, the law is the law, and this isn’t going to be so easy for him. As Walz pointed out, this issue could go to the Supreme Court.
Sure, one could argue that the Court is stacked with Trump’s cronies so, according to him, he would win. But if the Supreme Court ignores Congress’s powers in this case, that’s setting a dangerous precedent for every president in the future. People might say that Trump can halt the budget because of the Impoundment Control Act from 1974, which allows the president to be in charge of spending. However, and this is the kicker, the president needs to let Congress know.
Walz and his compassion are needed now more than ever, and the VP nominee who called the GOP “weird” and charmed everyone with his sweet dad energy is still hard at work pointing out the incompetence here. There are around 1,000 Minnesota programs that are up in the air right now, and Minnesota gets $1.8 billion from federal funding monthly. So, this freeze is more than a little unnerving. At a Jan. 28, 2025 press conference at a YMCA in St. Paul, Minnesota, Walz said, “While he was out golfing, he threw the country into crisis. This is not bold, it’s not leadership. It’s stupid, buffoonish, childish.”
Of course, the Trump administration is pretending that this is no big deal, and their explanation is particularly chilling. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “If they feel that programs are necessary and in line with the president’s agenda, then the Office of Management and Budget will review those policies.” The president’s agenda is, apparently, only to pay for things that further his evil plans instead of loans, grants, and funding for education, healthcare, and more.
Republicans might think it’s fine to love certain parts of the Constitution (like the Second Amendment) and ignore others, but that’s not how the law works. And if Trump keeps going, it looks like he’ll have to face Walz and many others in the courtroom.
