HR 193 — A Resolution urging the President of the United States to unfreeze previously appropriated Federal funds and cease future action freezing Federal funds that the Congress has appropriated.

PRINTER'S NO.    1412

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 193
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY PIELLI, PROBST, FREEMAN, KHAN, VENKAT, HILL-EVANS,
        SANCHEZ, GIRAL, MADDEN, WAXMAN, CERRATO, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ,
        MALAGARI, D. WILLIAMS, HOHENSTEIN, GREEN, DONAHUE, TAKAC,
        CIRESI AND RIVERA, APRIL 17, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND
        OPERATIONS, APRIL 17, 2025


                               A RESOLUTION
 1   Urging the President of the United States to unfreeze previously
 2      appropriated Federal funds and cease future action freezing
 3      Federal funds that the Congress has appropriated.
 4      WHEREAS, On January 27, 2025, the Office of Management and
 5   Budget issued a memorandum requiring all Federal agencies to
 6   "complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their Federal
 7   financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects,
 8   and activities that may be implicated by any of the President's
 9   executive orders... [and] pause all activities related to
10   obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance,
11   and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by
12   the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial
13   assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI,
14   woke gender ideology and the green new deal"; and
15      WHEREAS, The memorandum was intended to effectuate the
16   executive orders the President previously issued, including EO
17   14154, which, among other things, requires all agencies to
 1   immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through
 2   the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 or the Infrastructure
 3   Investment and Jobs Act; and
 4      WHEREAS, On January 29, 2025, the Office of Management and
 5   Budget rescinded the memorandum; however, the White House Press
 6   Secretary clarified on X, formerly known as Twitter, that
 7   despite the rescission of the memorandum, the funding freeze was
 8   still in effect; and
 9      WHEREAS, A group of nonprofits challenged the funding freeze,
10   and on February 3, 2025, a United States District Judge issued a
11   temporary restraining order on the funding freeze; and
12      WHEREAS, Twenty-three state attorneys general also sued the
13   President's Administration regarding the funding freeze, and on
14   February 10, 2025, another United States District Judge issued a
15   temporary restraining order; and
16      WHEREAS, Despite two different judges issuing temporary
17   restraining orders on the funding freeze, the Administration has
18   failed to restore all Federal funding; and
19      WHEREAS, The Governor of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against
20   the Administration on February 13, 2025, to unfreeze more than
21   $3 billion of Federal funding allocated to the Commonwealth; and
22      WHEREAS, On February 24, 2025, the Governor announced that
23   the funds that were part of the lawsuit had been unfrozen; and
24      WHEREAS, However, more than $700 million awarded to the
25   Commonwealth are still in limbo, which would have been used for
26   infrastructure work for passenger rail service between
27   Pittsburgh and Harrisburg and the development of two new
28   passenger routes, one between Scranton and New York City and
29   another for service between Philadelphia and Reading; and
30      WHEREAS, The funds would have also been used to install

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 1   electric vehicle charging stations every 50 miles along
 2   interstate highways and special transportation corridors and
 3   replace the South Bridge on Interstate 83; and
 4      WHEREAS, These funds were not part of the Governor's lawsuit
 5   because they were technically not frozen; however, these funds
 6   remain unspent because of fears that they would be canceled upon
 7   review; and
 8      WHEREAS, The United States District Judges have extended
 9   their orders blocking the funding freeze and have granted
10   preliminary injunctions; and
11      WHEREAS, The funding freeze has caused mass confusion,
12   frustration and uncertainty amongst millions of Americans who
13   rely on federally funded child care, food assistance and housing
14   programs and hundreds of nonprofits that depend on government
15   grants; and
16      WHEREAS, In 1974, in response to the President regularly
17   impounding congressionally appropriated funds, the United States
18   Congress passed the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control
19   Act which regularized the process of impoundment and does not
20   allow the President to unilaterally change the budget; and
21      WHEREAS, The Act provides avenues for the President to
22   withhold funds: deferrals, which means the delay of using funds
23   until they are needed, and rescissions, where the President
24   requests Congress to rescind funding; and
25      WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has consistently
26   upheld Congress's power to tax and spend the nation's money;
27   therefore be it
28      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
29   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President of the United
30   States to unfreeze previously appropriated Federal funds and

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 1   cease future action freezing Federal funds that Congress has
 2   appropriated; and be it further
 3      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
 4   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President of the United
 5   States to comport with the constitutional requirement of duly
 6   executing laws, not arbitrarily and unilaterally withholding
 7   what Congress, with the constitutional power of the purse, has
 8   already approved; and be it further
 9      RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the
10   President of the United States.




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