President Donald Trump promised to slash Washington’s sprawling bureaucracy, but a federal judge just threw a wrench in those plans. On Monday, U.S. District Judge John McConnell stopped Trump’s bid to gut three federal agencies, igniting a firestorm among supporters who say liberal judges are hell-bent on derailing the president’s agenda.

For a leader elected to shake up the system, it’s another frustrating roadblock from the courts.

“This is nothing less than a judicial power grab,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich fumed on Fox News. “Unelected judges are tying Trump’s hands, ignoring the voters who put him in office.”

McConnell, tapped for the bench by former President Barack Obama, put the brakes on Trump’s March 14 executive order that aimed to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

These agencies fund libraries and museums, boost minority-owned businesses, and help settle labor disputes. Trump sees them as prime examples of government bloat—low-hanging fruit for his cost-cutting ax.

The judge’s decision came after 21 mostly Democratic-led states sued, arguing Trump’s order overstepped his authority and trampled the Constitution’s separation of powers.

McConnell sided with them, writing that the president “can’t just ignore Congress’s power to make laws and decide how taxpayer money is spent.” His ruling keeps the agencies running, blocking layoffs and preserving their grants for now.

But for Trump’s camp, it’s a slap in the face. “Voters gave President Trump a clear mandate to drain the swamp,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said.

“This ruling spits in the face of that mandate and twists Supreme Court precedent to handcuff the president’s ability to run the government.”

It’s not the first time Trump’s run into a judicial wall. Since taking office, his administration has been hit with over 15 nationwide injunctions—more than Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, or Joe Biden faced in their entire terms.

Courts have blocked everything from firing federal workers to cracking down on sanctuary cities and pausing refugee programs. For Trump’s allies, it’s evidence of a deeper problem.

“We’re not talking about one rogue judge,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in a statement Tuesday.

“This is a pattern of judicial activism designed to stop a president who was elected to tear down the system. The American people want results, not roadblocks from unelected elites.”

McConnell’s track record doesn’t help his case with conservatives. Back in 2020, he blocked a Trump attempt to freeze federal grants across the board, a move that led one House Republican to call for his impeachment.

Critics argue his latest ruling shields agencies that embody the kind of government excess Trump was sent to Washington to eliminate.

The Minority Business Development Agency, for example, is a lightning rod for conservatives who call it a nod to identity politics. The other two agencies? Non-essential, they say, and a drain on taxpayers.

Democrats, predictably, are cheering. “No president gets to play dictator and wipe out agencies Congress created,” said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, whose state joined the lawsuit. “This ruling protects services our communities rely on.”

Legal scholars are split. Some say McConnell’s just doing his job, making sure Congress’s authority holds up.

Others think he’s stretching his role too far. “The president has room to shake up the executive branch, but he can’t erase agencies without Congress’s OK,” said Emily Carter, a constitutional law professor.

“Still, the flood of injunctions against Trump makes you wonder if some judges are playing politics.”

For Trump’s base, it’s a rallying cry. With the administration vowing to appeal, the fight over these agencies is just heating up.

The bigger battle, though, is over who gets to call the shots in Washington—and whether the courts will let Trump deliver the change he promised. For now, the agencies are safe, but the war to remake the government rages on.

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