Officials said the decision to halt loans and grants was necessary to ensure spending complies with recent executive orders.

After years of Conservative efforts to end government grants for public radio, President Donald Trump has frozen federal funding to CPB.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt vehemently defended the administration’s sweeping freeze on federal aid, arguing Tuesday in her first press briefing that it was critical to scrutinize the scope of the government’s spending.

A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general announced legal action against the White House budget office Tuesday over its directive to freeze federal assistance while reviewing whether government spending aligns with President Trump’s agenda.

Democrats are crying foul as the White House budget office pauses all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government to ensure its programs are consistent with President Donald Trump’s executive orders.

In a two-page memo, the Office of Management and Budget ordered all federal agencies to temporarily suspend payments.

Maryland has joined 22 other states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to implement a spending freeze on federal assistance.