White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Social Security, Medicare and food stamps would not be affected by the decision to freeze federal aid. NBC News’ Sahil Kapur reports on the Trump administration’s first White House press briefing and whether Medicaid could be among the programs affected.

The White House budget office on Wednesday rescinded an order freezing federal grants, according to a copy of a new memo obtained by The Washington Post, after the administration’s move to halt spending earlier this week provoked a backlash.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the pause on federal financial assistance will not include food stamps, Social Security, or Medicare and welfare benefits.

President Donald Trump’s pause on federal grants and loans has agencies and individuals scrambling as the fallout continues.

The original decision caused chaos and confusion and led to panicked calls to governmental agencies and public officials, before a federal judge paused the order.

In a two-sentence memo released Wednesday, the White House has rescinded their drive to pause all federal funding and grants. “OMB Memorandum M-25-13 is rescinded. If you have any questions about implementing the President’s Executive Orders,

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

The White House is claiming the Wednesday move by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinding a controversial order that froze a wide swath of federal financial assistance is not actually an end to curbing government spending.

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.

That came after the first press briefing of the new Administration, which was dominated by questions about the freeze. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters,