The Morning: Freezing the government

Plus, R.F.K. Jr., war in Congo and the Lunar New Year.

View in browser|nytimes.com January 29, 2025 By German Lopez Good morning. We're covering how President Trump is trying to reshape the government — as well as R.F.K. Jr., war in Congo and the Lunar New Year. President Trump Kenny Holston/The New York Times Freezing the government President Trump believes that a deep state held him back in his first term. Now, he wants to go through the federal government and its many functions, line by line, to make sure he gets his way — on diversity, climate change, immigration and more. Yesterday, the Trump administration tried to freeze a host of federal grants and loans while it figures out whether these priorities align with the president's agenda. The directive subjects programs to "ideological litmus tests," my colleague Nicholas Nehamas wrote. It says government money should not "advance Marxist equity, transgenderism and Green New Deal social engineering." Moments before it was set to begin, a judge suspended the freeze; a ruling will follow next week. The president is trying to strip any policy or program that he and his allies might call "woke." He has already moved to bar transgender people from the military and to prevent the government from paying for transgender children's treatments. He revoked a 60-year-old order that bans hiring discrimination in federal contracting and ended D.E.I. programs for the federal work force. Lawmakers often say that "personnel is policy." Trump is taking that view seriously as a way to ensure that his new policies are actually enforced, after some federal employees admitted that they secretly undermined his first-term agenda. So the president ordered federal employees to report on colleagues who try to continue D.E.I. efforts. He has dismissed officials who he believes oppose him. Yesterday, his administration offered millions of federal employees payouts to resign. It promised to impose "enhanced standards of conduct" to judge if workers are "reliable, loyal, trustworthy." The funding freeze is also part of an effort to enforce Trump's agenda across the entire government. By looking at each agency on a granular level, Trump can see if everyone is doing what he wants. The rest of today's newsletter breaks down what may happen if the freeze goes forward. 'Temporary pause' If the freeze proceeds, some programs that Americans rely on will shut down, though the administration called it a "temporary pause." My colleagues have put together a list of potentially affected programs. They include: Federal Transit Formula Grants, which local officials use to operate city buses and trains. The National School Lunch Program, which feeds poor schoolchildren. The Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscapes, which funds projects to prevent wildfires. The CHIPS Incentives Program, which supports the manufacturing of semiconductors in the U.S. Special Education Grants to States, which help students with disabilities. The High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, which helps the police stop drug crimes. The administration said it excluded some major services — Social Security, Medicare and food stamps, for instance — from the freeze. "Any payment required by law to be paid will be paid without interruption or delay," the Office of Management and Budget said. But the freeze might be illegal. The Constitution gives Congress power of the purse, meaning that its members decide how the government spends its money. The president has some leeway (say, in picking contractors), but he typically can't decide to withhold money. The Supreme Court has rebuked past efforts by presidents to "impound" funds in this way. In 1975, it ruled against Richard Nixon when he cut off some environmental protection funds. Mass confusion A press briefing at the White House. Evan Vucci/Associated Press When the administration issued the directive on Monday, officials across the government wondered if it would affect them. At first, the White House sent agencies a giant spreadsheet of affected programs, asking officials to explain if any violated Trump's executive orders. Then, the administration rushed to clarify that it exempted some big programs, like Medicaid and Head Start. But in the pandemonium, states reported yesterday that Medicaid payments were frozen. Providers who care for young children said they couldn't access Head Start funds. Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, a Trump ally, issued a statement asking the administration to take steps to avoid "jeopardizing the financial stability of the state." Trump views unpredictability as a virtue that keeps his opponents guessing. In this case, maybe the cuts related to wokeness or climate change will scare federal employees into acting cautiously — to avoid getting on their boss's bad side. But that unpredictability also has another effect: As Trump moves quickly, some government services — and the things they pay for, like schools and policing — might not always function as Americans expect. More on the funding Attorneys general from 22 states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit challenging Trump's funding freeze. The administration's relentless stream of orders and directives is a deliberate effort to "flood the zone," experts say. Trump hopes that his blitz on the federal government will send a message, Peter Baker writes: Get out of the way or get run over. THE LATEST NEWS Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  Kenny Holston/The New York Times Senate hearings begin today for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick for health secretary. He would oversee several major agencies, including the C.D.C. and the F.D.A. Kennedy, a critic of childhood vaccines, would have power over a government program that gives free vaccines to millions of low-income children. Kennedy's suspicion of food and drug companies has won him an unusual group of fans for a former Democrat: conservative Christian mothers. Caroline Kennedy, a former U.S. ambassador and the daughter of John F. Kennedy, urged senators to reject the nomination. She called her cousin unfit for the job and a "predator." Read her letter. Track Trump's cabinet confirmations here. Trump Administration Trump signed an executive order to restrict transgender medical treatments, including surgery and hormone therapy, for people under 19. The Senate confirmed Sean Duffy, a former Wisconsin congressman, as secretary of transportation. Pete Hegseth removed Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance and ordered a review of his record. Milley stood up to Trump in his first term. The Trump administration revoked deportation protections that Joe Biden had extended for more than 600,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. Kash Patel, the president's pick for F.B.I. director, has long emphasized his personal loyalty to Trump. The agency has made independence central to its identity. More on Politics Oklahoma education leaders approved a plan that would require public schools to request proof of children's immigration status. Senate Democrats blocked a bill to impose sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court. The bill, which the House passed, is a rebuke of the court's decision to charge Israeli leaders with war crimes. A Senate seat in Michigan will soon be vacant. Pete Buttigieg is among the politicians considering a run. Trump's preferred candidates to replace former Representatives Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz easily won their special election primaries. International In Manila, Philippines. Eloisa Lopez/Reuters Today is Lunar New Year. Billions of people celebrated with fireworks and feasts. See photos from across Asia. Eight of the 26 hostages that Hamas plans to return to Israel in the coming weeks are dead, Israeli officials said. A Hindu celebration at a holy river in India turned into a stampede. Dozens of people may have died. Rwanda has cultivated good relations with Western leaders and donors. Those leaders have said little as Rwandan-backed rebels wage war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Business X, formerly Twitter, announced a deal with Visa to let users send money through the app. Venture capitalists invested billions in start-ups like OpenAI and Anthropic. The rise of the China's DeepSeek calls that funding frenzy into question. The cable news anchor Jim Acosta is leaving CNN. The network told him it was moving his show to midnight. A new CVS app will let some customers unlock stores' glass security cabinets without waiting for a clerk. Other Big Stories American children's reading skills have continued to decline, according to federal test scores. Kansas is dealing with a major tuberculosis outbreak. Dozens of people in the Kansas City, Kan., area have the disease, officials said. Opinions Trump's pause of the TikTok ban could begin an economic era in which the government picks winners and losers — as China does, Tim Wu writes. The Chicago police pulled a live coyote from a supermarket produce aisle last week. Nature is always closer than we think, Margaret Renkl writes. Here's a column by Bret Stephens on the end of diversity programs. The Times Sale: Our best rate for readers of The Morning. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS In Hazard, Ky. Jon Cherry for The New York Times On the mountaintop: As flood risks increase, Kentucky is relocating people to mine-cratered higher ground. Survival: The plane crash should have killed her. Sometimes she wishes it had. Ask Well: "Does hot lemon water have any health benefits?" Lives Lived: Pableaux Johnson was a New Orleans food writer, photographer and cook who documented Mardi Gras traditions and served red beans and rice to thousands. He died at 59. SPORTS N.B.A.: The Kings are open to trading the star guard De'Aaron Fox, perhaps to the Spurs. W.N.B.A.: The Phoenix Mercury will acquire Alyssa Thomas, a five-time All-Star, from the Connecticut Sun. And Brittney Griner agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream after 11 seasons with the Mercury. ARTS AND IDEAS Linda Xiao for The New York Times It's Dumpling Week, an NYT Cooking celebration of Lunar New Year featuring five new recipes for your dumpling party. "All the good feelings rush in with dumplings," Genevieve Ko writes. "While making dumplings from scratch can be a meditative solo project, shaping and eating them with a group is its own kind of bliss." See the recipes, as well as videos showing how they're made. More on culture Clockwise from top left, Istanbul; Tokyo; Melbourne, Australia; and Kuwait City. Gary He/McAtlas McBaguettes and "ski-through" windows: A new photography book showcases the world's distinctive McDonald's locations. The late night hosts discussed Trump's executive order about trans soldiers. "Trump is acting like they're doing transition surgeries on the front lines," said Michael Kosta of "The Daily Show." THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Linda Xiao for The New York Times Wrap chile oil wontons at home. Take these items on a road trip. Edit photos on your phone. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was mailbox. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —German Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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