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

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.

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.

A White House memo set off a flurry of panic across nonprofit groups, who said they were unable to access federal government systems used to withdraw funds.