Presidents from both parties, including Trump, have let the budget grow and grow. The White House is trying to make changes on its own.

The federal government fell into chaos Tuesday as officials braced for potential interruptions to programs that range from protecting food safety to responding to natural disasters.

A federal judge blocked the funding freeze from going into effect, after a day in which Trump's White House scrambled to contain confusion.

"This was not the enemy," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement on New Jersey's mysterious drone sightings.

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.

Nutrition programs that deliver food assistance to millions of U.S. families will not be affected by a White House pause on federal grants and loans, a senior official said on Tuesday. The White House's Office of Management and Budget said in a memo on Monday that federal grants and loans would be put on hold for review to ensure the programs were aligned with President Donald Trump's priorities,

California will help lead a coalition of states in suing to block a White House budget office order halting "all federal financial assistance."