The White House’s Office of Management and Budget issued a memo ordering a temporary halt to “all federal financial assistance,” potentially paralyzing a vast swath of federal programs.

The order that froze trillions of dollars of federal grants and loans was published without vetting by key officials in the White House.

"It is blatantly unconstitutional," one senator says as agencies grapple with pausing nearly all grants and loan programs.

Heads of federal agencies turned Trump’s executive orders into mandates to cut communication with outside parties, halt most foreign aid, and pause legal filings.