On Tuesday, the Trump Administration sent out a memo attempting to put a blanket pause on most federal funding, sowing confusion about financing for student loans, SNAP benefits, nonprofits, and more. The next day, after a backlash, the Administration rescinded the memo, while maintaining that a freeze remains in “full force and effect.” The order created chaos across the federal government, threatening a power struggle between the President, Congress, and the courts. The New Yorker contributor and Harvard Law professor Jeannie Suk Gersen joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how Trump’s directives are testing how far a President can go.

This week’s reading:

“Trump's Attempt to Redefine America,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells
“The Unchecked Authority of Trump's Immigration Orders,” by Jonathan Blitzer
“Donald Trump Throws the Doors to the Patriot Wing Open,” by Antonia Hitchens
“Trump Is Already Drowning Us in Outrages,” by Susan B. Glasser
“Britain’s Foreign Secretary Braces for the Second Trump Age,” by Sam Knight

To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send feedback on this episode, write to themail@newyorker.com.

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Walking the Constitutional Line