US, Jan 29: A US judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's decision to suspend funding for a variety of federal programs.
Tuesday's judgment came soon before Trump's policy was scheduled to go into force.
Critics had warned that the order might have hampered education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, and disaster relief efforts.
Nonetheless, officials in Trump's administration said that the funding suspension was required to ensure that all financing aligned with Trump's policies, especially his focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
The Office of Management and Budget, which manages the federal budget, stated in a memo that the freeze encompassed funds meant for "foreign aid" and "nongovernmental organizations," among other categories.
The White House stated that the suspension will have no affect on Social Security and Medicare payments, as well as "assistance provided directly to individuals".
According to reports, several food distribution schemes for the underprivileged would have remained unaffected.
However, a funding block might have a short-term impact on trillions of dollars and disrupt healthcare research, education programs, and other efforts. Even grants that have been issued but not spent are expected to be suspended under the directive.
Already on Tuesday, state agencies and early education centers looked to be straining to obtain funding from Medicaid, a low-income healthcare program, and Head Start, an early childhood development program.
Four organizations representing non-profits, public health professionals, and small companies brought the complaint that resulted in the judge's judgment on Tuesday.
They said that Trump's action "will have a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of grant recipients".
"From halting research on cures for childhood cancer to halting food assistance, safety from domestic violence, and closing suicide hotlines, the impact of even a brief pause in funding could be devastating and cost lives," said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits. Her group was one of four participating in Tuesday's complaint.
US District Judge Loren Ali Khan finally halted Trump's order until a hearing on February 3.
Democratic state attorneys general have also promised to challenge the decree in court.
That includes New York Attorney General Letitia James, who stated that she intends to petition a Manhattan federal court to halt the Republican president's actions.
"My office will be taking imminent legal action against this administration's unconstitutional pause on federal funding," James said via social media. "We won't sit idly by while this administration harms our families."