Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks on the Trump Administration's federal air freeze during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Also pictured is Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The minority leader said there are ongoing discussions between Capitol Hill Democrats and various Democratic governors on a coordinated response to Trump's action. Two dozen blue state attorneys general have already announced legal action to keep the federal grant, loan and other aid flowing.
Democrats said they have received an avalanche of phone calls from local officials, non-governmental organizations, charities and individual constituents demanding to know if OMB's memo meant taxpayer dollars they rely on to serve people were about to disappear.
"Chaos reigned. I got calls from a whole lot of Republican town supervisors and mayors, asking, what about flood prevention? What about sewer construction projects?" Schumer said. He recounted additional calls from food bank operators, nonprofit groups that treat addiction and church groups worried they would not be able to make payroll.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that the OMB memo would not impact individuals who receive direct assistance from the federal government. She described the pause as "temporary" and likened it to simultaneous efforts by the Trump administration to freeze hiring and regulations in an effort to shrink the government.
FACT OR FICTION: WILL TRUMP'S FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE IMPACT STUDENT LOANS, GRANTS?
President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Republicans have mostly backed Trump, insisting that the new presidential administration has a right to examine how taxpayer dollars are spent.
"This is not unusual for an administration to pause funding and to take a hard look and scrub of how these programs are being spent and how they interact with a lot of the executive orders that the president signed," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters, though he expressed hope that the White House would "further clarify what exactly will be impacted by this."
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democratic appropriator, said Trump's actions have endangered chances for a bipartisan spending agreement when the government funding deadline arrives in March.
"It is extremely difficult to agree to a compromise on anything if the White House is going to assert that they control the funds, we don't," Murray said. "So this is really putting that in jeopardy."
Chris Pandolfo is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-coordinate-multi-state-response-trumps-funding-freeze