Update: A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s freezing of federal subsidy funds, and the White House issued a statement shortly before the publication claiming an interruption: “We have confirmed that payments have not been affected: they are still being processed and sent. After the publication, at least one state reported that “I did not know the lapses in the access to the Federal Government portal … with the operations that function as normal.”
The original story continues below.
According to a clarifying memorandum published by Donald Trump’s budget office on Tuesday morning, a previous memorandum that orders all federal agencies that freeze subsidies and federal loans will not affect mandatory programs such as Medicaid. At the same time that the second memorandum was circulating, the officials reported that Medicaid portals had closed in the 50 states.
Any person who tries to log in to the web portal of the Payment Management Services (PMS), the online system responsible for tracking and depositing the funds of the Federal Health Department, will be received by a notice that says that, due to ” Executive orders regarding potentially non -understandable subsidies payments, PMS, is is.
The reports of the closed Medicaid portals began on Tuesday morning, with Senator Ron Wyden, D -oreg., Writing early in the afternoon that his staff “had Confirmed reports that Medicaid portals have fallen into the 50 states after the freezing of federal funds last night. “
“This is a flagrant attempt to start the health insurance of millions of Americans during the night and kill people,” he wrote in a position on social networks on Tuesday afternoon. “This is a shameless attempt to start the health insurance of millions of Americans during the night and kill people.”
Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn. . In Illinois, where 4 million low -income people had their medical attention covered in 2023 by Medicaid, state agencies informed problems to the Governor JB Pritzker’s office with access to several federal financing sites, including Medicaid portals. According to his office, Pritzker is communicating with federal and state officials, as well as with other governors, on the matter.
“The governor has ordered his senior team to evaluate the harmful impacts of this illegal action on the state budget and services,” said Pritzker spokesman Matt Hill, Chicago Sun-Times.
A variety of organizations and agencies that receive federal health funds, including the Head Start Childhood Education programs and community health centers, also reported having been blocked.
The apparent closure of the Medicaid portal has increased the fears of non -profit leaders and political activists that the federal freezing ordered by the Trump Budget Office will reduce the essential help to low -income Americans. The legal challenges are already underway, and several general democratic state prosecutors announce on Tuesday afternoon that they will sue the Trump administration for the budget memorandum and will seek a restriction order to block its implementation.
Editor’s note: After many recent developments, this article has been updated and clarified.
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