Top Democratic lawmakers are accusing the Trump administration of blocking billions of dollars in federal funding that they say is at risk of lapsing at the end of the month.
A tracker released Monday by Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), top Democrats on the Senate and House appropriations committees, respectively, tallies more than $410 billion in blocked federal funding.
“We are now nine months into the year—and weeks away from the end of the fiscal year—and President Trump and Russ Vought continue to withhold hundreds of billions of dollars from families, farmers, children, small businesses, and communities in every part of the country,” they said in a joint statement.
It marks the latest estimate released by Democratic appropriators in recent months as they raise alarm for months over billions in funding targeted by the administration.
At the same time, officials have been pushing back on the tally, with one senior administration official reacting Monday, “If anyone knew what Murray and DeLauro were smoking, they’d be rich.”
The Hill has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management (OMB) and the White House for comment.
The estimate comes as partisan tensions over spending have been on the rise in Washington amid a significant operation by the administration to reshape parts of the federal government.
Congress is also facing a time crunch to act to pass legislation to keep the government funded by a Sept. 30 deadline to prevent a shutdown.
Among some of the big-ticket items highlighted in the tracker was $37 billion in funding for foreign assistance and development programs that Democrats say has been cancelled, frozen, or terminated, along with about $40 billion for competitive grants for the Transportation Department.
The tracker details about $97 billion in “frozen” funds for FEMA-administered Grant Programs, noting that, “despite repeated congressional inquiries, DHS has failed to demonstrate that this funding which has been withheld for months has been released.”
It also accuses the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of terminating more than “2,600 grants supporting lifechanging—and lifesaving—medical research, totaling approximately $8.9 billion, and it is not clear how many have or will be reinstated.”
The Hill has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and NIH for comment.
