"Let's be clear, January 20th was an inauguration, not a coronation. Congress is given the power to appropriate the funding. The executive branch cannot unilaterally disregard those appropriations," Raoul said.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said President Donald Trump’s pause on federal funding is illegal and accused the administration of lying when it said programs that provide direct assistance like Medicaid would not be affected.

A federal judge temporarily blocked a Trump administration effort to freeze federal grants and potentially trillions of dollars in spending, but not before the Republican president’s declaration caused widespread tumult and confusion within Illinois government and among social service agencies,