The White House budget office has ordered a pause on all federal grants and loans, according to an internal memorandum sent Monday.

The White House budget office has ordered a pause in grants, loans and other federal financial assistance, according to a memo sent to government agencies on Monday, potentially paralyzing a vast swath of programs and sowing confusion and alarm among the array of groups that depend on them.

The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.

The Vermont senators and representative gave a joint statement expressing their concern of this "authoritarian" decision to freeze federal grants.

The full extent of the order was not immediately clear, but the directive sent to government agencies on Monday threatened to paralyze a vast swath of federal programs.

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.