Earlier this week the White House released a memo through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) freezing all federal payments for grants and other programs.  The freeze was initially set to take effect Tuesday, January 28 evening and would have placed a pause on all federal payments until the administration had time to review each expense. The freeze was ultimately paused by a number of federal judges and the memo was rescinded Wednesday.

As of this publication no further changes have been made on this memo, though the White House has assured the public that reviews of federal spending should still be expected. Government agencies with programs that have been cut or altered by other recent executive orders may still experience a spending freeze.

We recognize the impact this could have on many businesses and organizations within our region. GLI continues to monitor this memo and other executive orders from the presidential administration. For updates on this and other policy changes make sure to follow us on X @GLIAdvocacy and on our Policy Distilled blog.