Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday said people were “aroused” as he discussed President Donald Trump’s federal grant funding freeze order.
“You talk about these different organizations and people in New York reaching out to you, and you’ve encouraged them to obviously keep up this effort and to possibly contact the president in any way, shape, or form. But do you realistically think that the president is going to listen to many of these people in upstate New York who are struggling?” a reporter asked Schumer at his news conference with Senate Democrats.
“The roots of democracy are deep. And what we’re saying is, go to your local official, your local congressman, your local senator, and have them get to the president,” the New York Democrat replied. “But the roots of democracy are deep.”
“People are aroused. I haven’t seen people so aroused in a very, very long time in terms of going, trying to get this done,” Schumer continued. His choice of words sparked online conversation.
“So yes, I think democracy will have an effect. And we are going to keep at it. We’re going to keep at it legally. We’re going to keep at it legislatively,” he added. “But we’re also going to keep at it in terms of the grassroots.”
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Trump’s efforts to pause some federal assistance. The Trump administration had ordered all federal agencies to stop sending grants, loans, and other assistance that are not mandatory.
The judge’s order came after a day of confusion about the Trump directive since scores of different groups across the country get this financial help from the federal government. And on Wednesday, the Office of Management and Budget rescinded the memo that would have froze government spending. In the wake of the apparent backtrack, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later tweeted, “This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction. The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented.”