White House Orders Pause of Federal Financial-Assistance Programs

The White House ordered executive departments and agencies to broadly pause federal grants, loans and other financial-assistance programs pending a review by the Trump administration, according to a memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The memo, sent around 5 p.m. on Monday by the Office of Management and Budget, caused confusion with some employees in federal agencies who sought to understand which programs were affected and how they should respond, said a person familiar with the matter.