Nancy Pelosi, Former House Speaker, claimed that Trump has shown a “willingness to undermine our democracy.” Hillary Clinton warned us that Trump’s second term could “lead to a dictatorship.” John Kelly, former Chief of Staff, said that Trump fits the “definition of fascism.”
Most Americans ignored the warnings from the Democrats, calling it “fear-mongering.” However, the recent unconstitutional and illegal freeze on federal grants proves that Trump is already acting like a “dictator.”
Trump blocked trillions in federal grants via a two-page internal memo. The memo states that taxpayers’ money is being wasted on “Marxist” policies like equality, transgenderism, and environmentalism.
What “Marxist” Policies Trump Is Talking About?
According to the memo, Marxist policies include Medicaid, the Head Start Program, cancer research, school lunches for kids, food stamps, gender-affirming care, foreign aid, and even veteran welfare plans.
Republican Senator Rick McCormick supported the freeze on school lunch programs and suggested that children should start working at Burger King or McDonald’s instead of relying on the government.
A federal judge did put partial restrictions on the Trump order till 3rd February after receiving petitions from advocacy groups and NGOs. Shockingly, this order isn’t just unconstitutional—it completely bypasses Congress and lawmakers.
Trump’s Blatant Attempt at Dictatorship
The power to curb or hold federal grants and loans comes under the “power of the purse.” Article 1 of the US Constitution gives Congress the authority over the “power of the purse.” The order is also a breach of separation of power, a sacred principle of the US Constitution.
Legal experts suggest that despite GOP influence in Congress, the order has no legal basis. Historically, the judiciary has overruled executive overreach, as seen in the Train v. City of New York Case of 1975, where the Supreme Court reaffirmed Congress’s authority.
Democrats like Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Patty Murray have condemned this order and called it “illegal,” “cruel,” and a betrayal to the “average American family.”
Along with legal consequences, Hamilton Institute also warns that the order could have a devastating impact on the economy, and the people will face the brunt of it. They also warned that the result could be worse than a “government shutdown.”
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