How Trump’s Federal-Aid Fiasco Is Testing the Separation of Powers
The Political Scene Podcast “We are in an era of a real reckoning with the relationship of the President to the other branches of government,” the Harvard Law professor and New Yorker contributor Jeannie Suk Gersen says.Listen and subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Google | Wherever You ListenSign up to receive our twice-weekly News & Politics newsletter.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 The next day, after a backlash, the Administration rescinded the memo, while maintaining that a freeze remains in “full force and effect.”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 KnightTune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.
Listen and subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Google | Wherever You Listen
Sign up to receive our twice-weekly News & Politics newsletter.
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 The next day, after a backlash, the Administration rescinded the memo, while maintaining that a freeze remains in “full force and effect.”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
Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.
