Democrats express 'extreme alarm' after White House halts federal grants.
US President Donald Trump has paused grants, loans and other federal assistance, according to a leaked government memo verified by the BBC's US partner, CBS News.
The two-page memo, from the acting head of the White House budget office, instructs agencies to "temporarily pause all activities related to obligations or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance".
The directive could paralyse billions of dollars meant for federal programmes, from disaster relief to cancer research, though Medicare and social security benefits will not be affected.
In a letter to the White House, top Democratics expressed "extreme alarm".
The memo suggests that the federal government spent $10tn (£8tn) in fiscal year 2024, more than $3tn of which went to federal financial assistance.
The White House has not yet commented officially on the leaked document. »