The lack of clarity is remarkable as targets of the freeze face enormous consequences. States, local governments, institutions and many nonprofits rely on federal funds to deliver services and carry out vital programs. The OMB memo called for an exception to Social Security, Medicare and direct payments to Americans.

U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan’s decision to grant a temporary stay was made in order to hear arguments from the White House and the various entities who challenged the pause. That hearing is scheduled to take place Feb. 3.

Local elected officials are already experiencing fallout from the freeze.

A spokesperson for Chester County told WHYY News its Department of Community Development is currently unable to access more than $13.3 million in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The money is meant to support affordable housing, homelessness and nonprofit services. Without this subsidy, 70 households with disabilities would likely be experiencing homelessness, according to county officials.

“Federal funds are also crucial for maintaining and repairing our transportation infrastructure – our roads, bridges and public transit systems that keep our county moving,” the county said in a statement. “Our residents depend on them to get to work, school, medical appointments, and for goods and services to flow smoothly. Delays in these repairs aren’t just a matter of convenience, they could be dangerous.”

Chester County government receives approximately $68 million in federal funding.

In Bucks County, spokesperson Jim O’Malley said according to the county’s current estimates, a federal funding freeze would halt roughly $300 million in “pass-through” funds and just under $80 million in direct federal grants to the county.

Montgomery County’s Democratic Commissioners Neil Makhija and Jamila Winder estimated residents benefit from more than $140 million in federal grant programs each year. The pair issued a statement Tuesday evening, arguing the pause would “hurt hundreds of thousands of people in Montgomery County.”

“That memo was reckless and should never have been issued,” Makhija said in a statement Wednesday. “While it’s fair to communicate a desire to evaluate government spending and programming, there are more effective — and legal — ways to do this in partnership with all levels of government. We’re doing everything we can to protect our residents and ensure that we’re able to continue to meet their needs, in everything from housing to public safety.”