President Donald Trump's order to pause all federal grants and loans sowed widespread confusion on Tuesday over its impact on far-reaching programs such as Medicaid, sending nonprofits and government agencies scrambling to understand its scope and prompting immediate legal challenges.

The move represented the new president’s most audacious effort yet to disrupt the nation’s spending priorities.

So far, experts say it's uncertain how Medicaid funding could be disrupted by the funding freeze. Medicaid serves low-income Americans who often do not qualify for health insurance via their work. More than 74 million Americans were enrolled in Medicaid in the fall of 2024 and could be impacted by the funding freeze.