Democratic minority leader of the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has warned that President Donald Trump’s decision to pause grants and loans will cause chaos.
According to leaked White House documents, the US president is set to order a sweeping freeze of government grants, loans, and other federal assistance.
Sources say the move follows President Trump’s pledge to improve government efficiencies, which include ceasing all US aid programmes overseas.
Sen. Schumer says the move will result in missed payrolls and rent payments and cause “chaos.”
Top Democratic appropriators in Congress—Washington Senator Patty Murray and Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro—sent a letter to the White House Monday evening expressing their “extreme alarm” about the memo.
“The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country,” they wrote.
“We write today to urge you in the strongest possible terms to uphold the law and the Constitution and ensure all federal resources are delivered in accordance with the law.”
A member of the Nigerian Diaspora, Mr. Andrew Obeya Adaudu says the lives of 1.2 million Nigerians on ARVs are hanging on the balance as the US government pauses grants.
“He froze the PEPFAR program yesterday, and honestly, the Nigerian government can’t afford HIV AIDS treatment.
“Please, if you are not living with the virus, do everything to stay uninfected, and if you are living with the virus, avoid further risky behaviour,” says Mr. Adaudu.
