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Attorney General Raúl Torrez said Tuesday he will join the more than 20 states in filing a lawsuit aimed at blocking an order from the Trump administration to pause all federal grant programs.

New Mexico Democrats on Tuesday lambasted President Donald Trump’s order for a sweeping pause on federal grants and loans, saying it created “chaos” and could potentially have dire consequences for many programs in a state that historically has received large amounts of federal aid.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the order minutes before it was set to go into effect at 5 p.m., meaning it cannot not be implemented until at least Feb. 3, when another hearing is scheduled.

But the push to freeze federal aid plunged government officials and nonprofits nationwide into a panic, racing to understand the directive issued Monday. It also prompted New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez to join a coalition of 22 states that filed a lawsuit aimed at blocking the order.

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“In an overnight maneuver that would make a dictator envious, President Trump unlawfully and unilaterally froze all federal grant funding. ... He threw every town, county, Tribe, nonprofit, health care provider, school, and preschool into total disarray,” U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich said.

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U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in 2024. Luján called Trump’s orders “unlawful,” noting the White House memo directs federal agencies to withhold funding Congress — given control over budgeting by the U.S. Constitution — already has appropriated.

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Superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez, right, talks with members of the Santa Fe Public Schools’ Community Review Committee at Capshaw Middle School in November 2023. “New Mexico and school districts around the state rely heavily on federal grants to support rural and tribal communities, sustain social programs, and provide support to those students who need it the most,” Chavez said of Trump’s order.

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