Trump’s attempt to revive mass spending freeze takes another hit in court

Erik De La Garza

Feb. 11, 2025, 10:54 p.m.

President Donald Trump’s effort to undo a block of his government-wide spending freeze was dealt a blow Tuesday after a federal appeals court threw out his emergency appeal.

In a short ruling Tuesday, the First Circuit Court of Appeals denied Trump’s request for the court to block an order that required agencies to lift the federal spending pause. The ruling from a three-judge panel leaves in place a federal judge’s block of Trump’s executive order stopping all government funding.

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“We assume we have jurisdiction,” the court’s ruling said, citing 2023 case law. “And we deny the motion for an administrative stay without prejudice.”

The appellate court gave the parties a Thursday afternoon deadline to file “any further memoranda in support of their positions.”