House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan threatens to use 'power of the purse' to punish wayward judges

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan is warning Congress may soon use the appropriations process to punish wayward federal judges who ignore the Supreme Court's precedents, especially when it comes to issuing injunctions that block Trump administration policies.

"There may be ways we can use the power of the purse, which is, again, what the founders thought, that was the biggest power that the legislative branch had relative to the others," Jordan said Monday night on the Just the News, No Noise TV show. "So I think we're looking at that process as it unfolds here over the next three months."

Jordan's statement came the same day a federal judge in Boston blocked the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act's provisions to defund Planned Parenthood.

Last month, justices on the Supreme Court voted to narrow the scope of such lower court injunctions.

President Donald Trump praised the higher court's decision following the ruling on TRUTH Social. 

"GIANT WIN in the United States Supreme Court!" he wrote. "Even the Birthright Citizenship Hoax has been, indirectly, hit hard. It had to do with the babies of slaves (same year!), not the SCAMMING of our Immigration process. Congratulations to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Solicitor General John Sauer, and the entire DOJ."

The justices found that the lower courts had likely exceeded their authority by imposing universal injunctions against Trump's executive orders.

The Trump administration has seen many of its executive orders subjected to nationwide injunctions, though the Supreme Court decision found that Congress had not given that authority to the lower courts and narrowed their scope to providing injunctive relief to the plaintiffs in that case.

Jordan helped shepherd through the House legislation that would block federal judges from injunctions that extend outside their parties or their local jurisdictions. That bill is now pending in the Senate.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued the latest temporary restraining order on Monday, blocking the Planned Parenthood policies.

"Well, we got three courses of action we can do," Jordan said in response to the recent actions by the judge. "We can pass legislation which we've already done right in the Judiciary Committee in the House, which is Darrell Issa's bill, which said that the 677 federal district judges when it comes to issuing injunctions, the injunction shouldn't apply nationwide."

Jordan said the committee has also had hearings on the injunctions from federal judges.

"We had former Speaker Gingrich in, and he talked about it and gave a good historical perspective on this whole issue," he said. 

Jordan said another way that Congress could go about holding judges accountable who don't follow the Supreme Court's precedent is to look at the appropriations process.

He said Congress wouldn't cut funds for security, given the threats that have been issued against jurists like Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. But he noted there were other expenditures that Congress could cut to send a message to wayward judges, such as pay raises.

"You know, the Judicial Conference just asked for a big, big raise in their budget. I think we need to take a look at that and decide," he said.