1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand your immediate action in response to what a March 3, 2026 New York Times investigation has laid bare: President Trump has systematically withheld billions of dollars in congressionally authorized federal funding — not on any lawful basis, but to coerce states, punish political opponents, and impose his ideology on the American people. The Times identified 198 lawsuits filed in the past year alone challenging how the administration has leveraged federal funding to carry out its agenda without the consent of Congress. The courts have rebuked the president repeatedly — district judges have temporarily blocked the administration’s actions 79 percent of the time when plaintiffs sought immediate relief, and in 26 instances where district judges issued partial or final rulings, the administration lost 23. And yet, as California Attorney General Rob Bonta told the Times: “He’s continued to repeat offend. And repeat lose.” The administration’s targets read like a deliberate campaign against disfavored groups and political opponents: sanctuary cities and states, universities, hospitals, researchers, nonprofits serving transgender people, domestic violence organizations, and — most recently — entire states whose voters supported Kamala Harris in 2024. The Times found that a federal judge ruled the administration violated the Fifth Amendment’s equal protection guarantee by canceling grants based explicitly on whether a state’s citizens voted for President Trump. The tactics have been breathtaking in their disregard for the rule of law. Termination letters sent without agency letterhead. Grant cancellations justified by a single vague paragraph. Directives issued on Friday nights to take effect the following Monday. Counterterrorism grants to sanctuary states reduced by, as a federal judge noted, “simply lopping digits off the original values.” And when courts issue injunctions, the administration simply moves on to new targets — what one law professor called “a game of three-card monte.” As Emory University law professor Matthew Lawrence told the Times: “Anyone in the country who relies on federal dollars is depending on the president to get that money. And that’s a new thing.” The human toll is already severe. Researchers have halted studies. Nonprofits have laid off staff. Child care and family assistance funds have been frozen. The $16 billion Gateway Tunnel project has been suspended. Public health grants have been cut. And as one federal judge wrote: “The Executive put itself above Congress.” The Constitution gives Congress — not the president — the power of the purse. This is not a matter of policy disagreement. It is an assault on the separation of powers. The Times noted something that I find both remarkable and deeply troubling: in rare instances where Republicans in Congress did push back, they were able to reverse billions in cuts far more quickly than any court could. You have power the courts do not. I am asking you to use it — immediately. I urge you to act now by: 1. Holding emergency oversight hearings to document every instance of withheld, frozen, or canceled congressionally appropriated funds. 2. Enforcing the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which exists precisely to prevent the executive branch from refusing to spend funds Congress has authorized. 3. Speaking publicly and forcefully in defense of Congress’s constitutional spending authority — regardless of party. 4. Working to pass enforceable guardrails that prevent the executive from conditioning or terminating funds based on political or ideological criteria. As Rosa DeLauro, the top Democratic appropriator in the House, told the Times: “We have to guard that with our lives.” She warned that funding is becoming a tool to silence dissent — “Don’t speak out — or I’ll cancel your grant.” The courts are doing their part, one agonizing lawsuit at a time. But as the Times reporting makes clear, 198 lawsuits — and counting — are not sufficient to stop an administration determined to repeat offend. Congress must step in now, before this corrosive new reality becomes permanent. Your constituents are depending on you. Respectfully and urgently