CNN's Jake Tapper said what everyone was thinking to Stephen Miller, who, fresh off his first week as the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, defended President Donald Trump's order to freeze hundreds of billions of dollars in government spending that created significant confusion across all levels of government.
Earlier, a Trump administration official stated that the move is not a funding freeze but a "pause" to allow agencies time to review whether federal grants and loans align with recent executive actions by Trump. The official added that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been coordinating with agencies to exempt certain programs.
Though the freeze was set to begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday, a federal district judge intervened minutes before the cutoff and set a hearing for further arguments for next Monday morning.
Asked for specifics on how long the Trump administration expects its top-down review to take and when funding for programs will resume, Miller said:
"In the original executive order that addressed NGOs, foreign aid, and other grants, there is a 90-day review process, as you know, Jake."
"More fundamentally, do you believe, does anyone believe that an unaccountable career-tenured bureaucrat should be able to approve vast sums of money for the projects that they personally agree with?"
Tapper swiftly cut him off, stressing that Miller had completely lost the plot:
"I'm literally asking about Meals on Wheels. I don't know what you're talking about."
Indeed, the funding freeze shook nonprofit organizations that administer programs like Meals on Wheels, which supports older Americans living in poverty and would be dealt an incredible blow by an action critics have decried as inhumane, pointing to the similar impact the move would have on school lunch programs.
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
STEPHEN MILLER: Does anyone believe that an unaccountable career bureaucrat should be able to approve vast sums of money for the projects that they personally agree with? JAKE TAPPER: I'm literally asking about Meals on Wheels. I don't know what you're talking about.
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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 28, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Many echoed Tapper's frustrations and criticized Miller as a result.
Stephen Miller would starve his own parents before he would disobey The Buffoon.
— SpunkyByChance (@spunkybychance.bsky.social) January 29, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Miller and their new press secretary don't seem to understand that Meals on Wheels is not a direct-to-beneficiary organization, which is why people are worried.
— randylane.bsky.social (@randylane.bsky.social) January 29, 2025 at 10:19 AM
So Miller is claiming 'no unaccountable bureaucrat' should be able to disburse funding already approved by Congress? And who the heck is he??
— beautifulwallsinfo.bsky.social (@beautifulwallsinfo.bsky.social) January 29, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Congress approved the funds - federal employees work with states and organizations to get CRITICAL funding to agencies that HELP AMERICANS. The only ppl who shouldn’t be in charge are ppl like Stephen Miller and all the corrupt P25 co-conspirators waiting in the wings to harm AMERICANS.
— magstarshine99 (@magstarshine99.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 6:21 PM
As someone who has worked for many federally funded programs. There is a high level of accountability for those funds being spent in the way in which they were intended. And non-profits that receive them take that responsibility seriously!
— Badasha-a-tron Adams (@flamingowmn74.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Sticking it to the people. That's what they're all about.
— Juju (@juju71.bsky.social) January 29, 2025 at 6:15 AM
The irony being that Stephen Miller is positioning himself as an unaccountable career bureaucrat who is allowed to approve vast sums of money for the projects he personally approves of.
— Professor Cynthia (@professorcyndi.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Miller has no idea what he’s talking about. Meals on Wheels is a group that distributes services to individuals. They’ve stopped funding groups.
— xnomads.bsky.social (@xnomads.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Miller's argument fails to acknowledge that the memo suspending federal funding was vaguely worded, leading to confusion among federal assistance programs, nonprofits, and aid recipients, and forcing OMB to issue an updated guidance.
While the memo specified that Social Security and Medicare would be exempt, additional guidance released Tuesday clarified that "any program that provides direct benefits to Americans is explicitly excluded from the pause."
Amid experts warning that even if the order is more narrowly tailored, it could still have significant financial consequences for the millions of Americans who rely on federal assistance, it was ultimately rescinded on Wednesday.
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