White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that a memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) which paused federal grants, loans, and other assistance programs has been rescinded.
The freeze was initially revealed on Monday and was blocked by a federal court the following day.
“This does NOT represent a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It merely cancels the OMB memo,” Ms. Leavitt stated in a post on X.
She further emphasized, “The President’s executive orders regarding federal funding remain fully in effect and will be implemented with rigor.”
Mr. Milley was appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the president’s first administration.
The retired general, who allegedly referred to Mr. Trump as a “fascist” to a journalist, is the most recent official-turned-critic to have their security protection revoked by the Trump administration following his inauguration for a second term last week.
According to Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot, Mr. Hegseth informed Mr. Milley, “that he is revoking the authorization for his security detail and suspending his security clearance as well.”
Mr. Milley, who was appointed by the president during his first term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saw their relationship deteriorate throughout the Republican’s presidency.
Similar to two other officials who had their security details removed, Mr. Milley is believed to be under threat from Tehran due to overseeing the 2020 US drone strike authorized by Mr. Trump, which resulted in the death of influential Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
“The secretary has also directed the (Department of Defense inspector general) to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding Gen. Milley’s conduct, allowing the secretary to determine if it is suitable to reopen his military grade review,” Mr. Ullyot remarked.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made his official debut at the Pentagon on Monday.
Though Mr. Milley retired as a four-star general, any potential process could lead to a demotion in retirement.
In a foretelling of future actions, Mr. Milley’s portrait honoring his service as chairman of the Joint Chiefs was removed from the Pentagon on the day Mr. Trump was sworn in.
This removal coincided with former president Joe Biden’s preemptive pardon of Mr. Milley and other Trump adversaries during one of his final actions in office.
Mr. Trump has consistently promised “retribution” against his political adversaries and has threatened some with criminal charges, while Mr. Biden stated that he acted to protect Mr. Milley and others from “politically motivated prosecutions” under the new administration.
Mr. Trump was infuriated after Mr. Milley disclosed to journalist Bob Woodward that the Republican was “fascist to the core” and deemed him a “dangerous person.”
Mark Milley concluded his role as chairman in 2023 during a ceremony where he took a final jab at Mr. Trump.
Mr. Milley also disclosed that he had secretly communicated with his Chinese counterpart after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by Mr. Trump’s supporters, aiming to reassure Beijing that the United States was “stable” and had no intention to launch any attacks against China.
In response, the president subsequently declared on his Truth Social network that “in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” for Mr. Milley.
The general stepped down as chairman in 2023 at a ceremony where he made a final reference to Mr. Trump, stating, “We don’t take an oath to a king, or queen, or a tyrant or a dictator. And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”
Radical attempts to reform the government
This development comes as Mr. Trump offered most federal employees the choice to resign in exchange for eight months of severance, marking his most aggressive move yet to fundamentally reshape the government.
The announcement, seemingly inspired by Elon Musk’s uncompromising management style, followed a proposed freeze on federal funding which critics claimed was unconstitutional.
This severance email threw the lives of US civil servants into turmoil just hours after disruptions to the healthcare system impacted millions of low-income Americans due to the decision to cut off federal aid.
The recent announcement followed an attempted funding freeze ordered by Mr. Trump that opponents claimed was unconstitutional.
A senior administration official informed NBC News that the White House anticipates around 5 to 10% of federal employees to leave, potentially yielding approximately $100 billion in savings.
The email distributed to public workers mirrored a message sent to Twitter employees when Mr. Musk took over in late 2022, requesting an emailed response from those who wished to remain with the company later rebranded as X.
Mr. Musk, who invested over $270 million to help Mr. Trump and other Republicans win elections, has been assigned to head a new Department of Government Efficiency aimed at significantly reducing federal spending.
Federal employees wishing to accept the offer were instructed to respond to the email with the word “resign” included in the body of the message.
These steps represent Mr. Trump’s latest actions since assuming office a week ago, pledging to compel the US government and its workforce to support his right-wing political objectives or face repercussions.
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