A U.S. federal judge on Monday extended a temporary block on the Trump administration's spending freeze. Why it matters: District Judge Loren AliKhan expressed concern in her order that the Trump administration was still enforcing the spending freeze despite the temporary restraining order.

The Trump administration likely violated federal law with a controversial directive that aimed to pause spending on potentially trillions of dollars of grants and loans to a vast array of recipients across the country,

The order came in response to a memo released by the Office of Management and Budget last week directing agencies to freeze funding for federal grants and other programs.

A federal court in Washington, D.C., has extended a temporary injunction against President Trump’s effort to freeze trillions of dollars of federal spending. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ruled Trump’s order appears to violate the Constitution’s separation of powers,

A White House memo ordered a halt to federal assistance and a review to align spending with Donald Trump’s priorities. Many legal experts say the order is unconstitutional.

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.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. is expected to rule shortly on whether to block the federal funding freeze.

The restraining order, along with a similar directive by another judge from Friday, amounted to a rebuke of the move as an overreach that likely lacked legitimate authority.

Adding to the uncertainly was a federal judge's ruling to halt the Trump order on grants and loans until Feb. 3.