A second federal judge indefinitely blocked the Trump administration’s blanket freeze on appropriated and obligated federal funds for government contractors, reinforcing Congress’s authority over government spending. This decision directly impacts government contractors who rely on federal funding for projects and operations. Key Takeaways for Government Contractors Funding Pause Declared Unlawful The court ruled that the executive branch cannot impose a blanket freeze on congressionally appropriated funds. Judge McConnell wrote, “[t]he Executive put itself above Congress. It imposed a categorical mandate on . . . Read More
On March 5, 2025, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) upheld a federal judge’s order directing the government to pay nearly $2 Billion to federal contractors for completed foreign aid work. [1] This client alert identifies key takeaways from the SCOTUS denial and provides important considerations for government contractors whose payments were subject to executive freezes on foreign aid spending. Background As previously reported by PilieroMazza , President Trump issued Executive Order 14169, “ Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid ,” which ordered agencies with foreign development assistance programs . . . Read More
PilieroMazza recently published a client alert regarding executive orders issued on February 1, 2025, imposing additional tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico, and China, and the decision to delay the tariffs on Canada and Mexico until March 6, 2025. This client alert provides government contractors with an update on these tariffs—which may increase the cost of performance or lead to supply shortages, resulting in delays—and how to insulate your business. To summarize, products from Canada and Mexico were subject to a 25% tariff, . . . Read More
Click here to view the recorded session. President Trump’s executive order, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, revoked EO 11246: Equal Employment Opportunity and prohibits contractors from continuing any illegal discrimination or affirmative action program. However, the EO left many questions unanswered and contractors confused about what they need to do to comply before the April 21, 2025, compliance deadline. Secure your spot for this important PilieroMazza webinar where Labor & Employment attorneys Nichole Atallah and Sarah Nash analyze the EO’s legal and financial . . . Read More
On February 26, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order implementing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Cost Efficiency Initiative (Order). The Order seeks to transform federal spending on contracts, grants, and loans to ensure transparency and accountability. This includes requiring federal agencies to implement new mechanisms to record, justify, and approve agency payments; perform comprehensive reviews of contracts, grants, contracting policies, procedures, and personnel; and issue new guidance on signing or modifying new and existing contracts. The Order also freezes non-essential . . . Read More
Click here to view the recorded session. Recent executive orders have led to an increase in stop-work orders and terminations for convenience, creating significant challenges for government contractors. Understanding how to navigate these changes and optimize recovery is crucial for maintaining stability and compliance. In these uncertain times, not having a clear action plan can lead to greater financial risk and missed recovery opportunities. Join federal contracting experts from Aprio and PilieroMazza in a fireside chat as they provide valuable insights and strategies for . . . Read More
As PilieroMazza has been tracking in our recent alerts here and here , the Trump administration is attempting to block federal funding through a freeze outlined in the now-rescinded OMB Directive M-25-13 (Directive). The Directive and the broad policies contained therein were temporarily blocked by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (D.D.C.) when it issued a temporary restraining order on January 28, 2025. However, since the issuance of that TRO, the administration continues to implement the freeze and deny contractors . . . Read More
As PilieroMazza recently discussed , on February 13, 2025, Judge Amir H. Ali, of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) requiring the Trump administration to restore funding for foreign assistance awards halted as a result of recent executive and agency actions. On February 20, 2025, Judge Ali partially granted a motion to enforce the TRO, criticizing the government for continuing its blanket suspension pending review of foreign assistance agreements—which is the very action the TRO . . . Read More
On February 21, 2025, a federal court [1] preliminarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing key provisions of the recent executive orders (EOs) to eliminate “illegal” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives from the federal government and federal contractors. The court found the provisions to be unconstitutionally vague and likely to infringe on free speech. This PilieroMazza client alert outlines the current status of the EOs and potential impacts on federal contractors. EOs 14151 and 14173 , issued by the Trump administration . . . Read More
Federal contractors are scrambling to determine how far they should go in changing policies they’ve used to recruit and retain employees in light of the Trump administration’s crackdown on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. Agencies reported spending more than $770 Billion in prime contracts in 2024, and the new administration is now cutting all such DEI efforts and removing any DEI-related work from ongoing contracts. This has raised questions as to what constitutes DEI and how best to react. . . . Read More
