A freeze on federal grants and loans has been paused. But many facets of American life are left mired in uncertainty

As a federal judge temporarily blocks part of the Trump administration’s pausing of federal grants and loans Tuesday, a slew of advocacy groups, charities, foreign aid and public health programs are decrying a potential upending of American lives on an unprecedented scale.

As a federal judge temporarily blocks part of the Trump administration’s pausing of federal grants and loans Tuesday, a slew of advocacy groups, charities, foreign aid and public health programs are decrying a potential upending of American lives on an unprecedented scale. Hundreds of programs touching all corners of the US were placed under review, according to a document released by the Office of Management and Budget and obtained by CNN. The White House later issued a memo appearing to greatly limit the scope of the federal assistance freeze, targeting executive orders that it says address immigration, foreign aid, climate and energy, DEI initiatives, gender identity and abortion. Yet the freeze – which could later resume and trigger a potential showdown at the Supreme Court – has left organizations and government agencies on the local, state and federal levels in flux. Reaction to the Trump administration’s freeze resulted in a mix of lawsuits, statements and warnings of what is to come. The uncertainty facing the freeze is not limited to within the US. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday added more exemptions to humanitarian programs that would otherwise be cut by the freeze on almost all US-funded foreign assistance. In a waiver obtained by CNN, Rubio agreed this week to keep spending on humanitarian programs that provided “life-saving medicine, medical services, food shelter and subsistence assistance,” leaving out programs that involve abortions, family-planning and transgender surgeries.