The memo from the Office of Management and Budget has been rescinded. And while the administration pinned blame on the media for sowing confusion, CNN reports the White House was flooded of calls from lawmakers and state officials, all with concerns about the effects on their constituents.
Elected Republicans across the country largely supported the action, with some calls for clarity among the responses.
Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, described the flurry of activity surrounding the temporary freeze in a video update Wednesday.
"Yesterday was one of the most bizarre days, certainly in in my term in state government," he began.
Beshear took to social media to question the constitutionality of the administration's order freezing the funds appropriated by congress. He also offered a glimpse into how the Tuesday announcement affected Kentucky.
"For much of the day, we were shut out of the Medicaid system. Without Medicaid, our rural hospitals would shut down, and so many health care workers would lose their job. We saw changes in our Appalachian Regional Commission account, money that goes directly into creating jobs and providing better health care and providing infrastructure in Appalachia," the governor said.
Kentucky Republicans in Congress had, however, defended the unexpected action as part of what they see as a mandate to control spending.
"I believe that President Trump is doing exactly what he was elected to do," Lexington Republican Rep. Andy Barr told national media, praising the freeze as evidence of a fiscally responsible administration at the helm. "What we're talking about here is a president who actually is a steward of the taxpayer dollars. I applaud President Trump for for doing this. It's the right thing to do."
Barr also reposted a "Facts on the Funding Freeze" graphic to X, which said, "Past administrations — Republican and Democrat — have done similar pauses when taking office."
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, whose office is non-partisan, told WUKY Tuesday in the midst of the now-rescinded order that the city didn't have details on how the freeze would have worked.
"Of course, I'm concerned because a lot of our good work has depended on matching a grant from the federal government," she said.
The administration had argued the pause was necessary to make sure federal spending complied with the president's flurry of executive orders.