Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.V.) said President Trump just needs “a little time” as concern and shock spread due to the executive actions he’s taken during the first few days of his second term.
In an interview with NBC News, Justice defended Trump’s decision to pause the disbursement of federal loans and grants, despite the widespread criticism that erupted on Tuesday after the announcement.
“The way you tackle a problem is first of all, you freeze everything, you stop everything for a time period where you can really get your hands around it and make the right decisions,” Justice said.
A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s plan to freeze the federal aid just minutes before it was supposed to go into effect.
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan, an appointee of former President Biden, was randomly assigned to the case and granted a “brief administrative stay.” The stay preserves the federal aid until at least Monday at 5 p.m.
Justice was also asked by NBC about West Virginia’s hydrogen energy hub, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, which Trump may repeal.
The new senator said he isn’t concerned about Trump’s action, and that as a conservative, he supports most of what the new president has implemented in the last week.
“I really believe that President Trump will make the right moves,” he said.
“He’ll make the right moves on the chess board, but we’ve got to give him time to get his arms around it,” Justice continued. “You can’t get your arms around if it’s a moving target.”
