The Trump administration has temporarily paused grant, loan and other financial assistance programs at the Office of Management and Budget, prompting criticism from congressional Democrats.

The federal government fell into chaos Tuesday as officials braced for potential interruptions to programs that range from protecting food safety to responding to natural disasters.

Everyone wanted to know the same thing — had the Trump administration actually frozen federal funds and would they be able to keep functioning? On Tuesday morning, the answer from Washington was, we’re trying to figure that out.

The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.

Presidents from both parties, including Trump, have let the budget grow and grow. The White House is trying to make changes on its own.

As director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought plans to implement the most critical parts of the new Trump agenda.

A new letter from Rhode Island's congressional delegates to the federal Office of Management and Budget asks the office to confirm that all previously approved funding for local projects will be released to the state.

President Donald Trump’s administration issued a memo Monday ordering all federal assistance to be temporarily paused, as Trump and his allies have argued he can block government funds that Congress has already authorized, despite a federal law forbidding it.

The Constitution, federal law and court decisions make it clear: President Donald Trump's order to pause federal funding is against the law, legal experts tell ABC News.

President Donald Trump's order to pause all federal grants and loans sowed widespread confusion on Tuesday over its impact on far-reaching programs such as Medicaid, sending nonprofits and government agencies scrambling to understand its scope and prompting immediate legal challenges.

The United States has the smallest defense budget in nearly 100 years. If the U.S. is in a cold war, it seems to be cheaper and less urgent than the last.

The order is "a potential five-alarm fire" for organizations that serve communities, nonprofit group executive says.