How Trump’s Federal-Aid Fiasco Is Testing the Separation of Power

On Tuesday, the Trump Administration sent out a memo attempting to put a blanket pause on most federal funding, sowing confusion about financing for  student loans, SNAP benefits, nonprofits, and more. The next day, after a backlash, the Administration rescinded the memo, while maintaining that a freeze remains in “full force and effect.” The order created chaos across the federal government, threatening a power struggle between the President, Congress, and the courts. The New Yorker contributor and Harvard Law professor Jeannie Suk Gersen joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how Trump’s directives are testing how far a President can go.   This week’s reading: “Trump's Attempt to Redefine America,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells “The Unchecked Authority of Trump's Immigration Orders,” by Jonathan Blitzer “Donald Trump Throws the Doors to the Patriot Wing Open,” by Antonia Hitchens “Trump Is Already Drowning Us in Outrages,” by Susan B. Glasser “Britain’s Foreign Secretary Braces for the Second Trump Age,” by Sam Knight To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send feedback on this episode, write to themail@newyorker.com.

Om Podcasten

Join The New Yorker’s writers and editors for reporting, insight, and analysis of the most pressing political issues of our time. On Mondays, David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, presents conversations and feature stories about current events. On Wednesdays, the senior editor Tyler Foggatt goes deep on a consequential political story via far-reaching interviews with staff writers and outside experts. And, on Fridays, the staff writers Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Evan Osnos discuss the latest developments in Washington and beyond, offering an encompassing understanding of this moment in American politics.