Pennsylvania state and local officials are scrambling after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered a temporary pause on federal financial assistance, a halt that could disrupt trillions of dollars nationally.

The move comes after the order sparked widespread criticism and confusion. A federal district judge had temporarily paused the freeze.

ATLANTA (AP) — A White House order to freeze federal grants reflects a theory of presidential power that Donald Trump clearly endorsed during his 2024 campaign. The approach was further outlined in the Project 2025 governing treatise that candidate Trump furiously denied was a blueprint for his second administration.

A federal judge put a temporary hold on the White House directive as Washington and 21 other states filed a lawsuit.

The Trump administration’s biggest swing at radically reshaping federal spending lasted just under 45 hours. A sweeping freeze on trillions in federal spending for grants and loans, issued Monday night by the White House budget office to federal agencies without fanfare,

The Trump administration on Wednesday rescinded a sweeping directive to pause federal loans, grants and other financial assistance, a White House official said, just shortly before it was set to appear in court for a second straight day to defend the policy.