Will the federal government freeze financial assistance or not? Who will be affected if it does? Those questions have been asked many times this week after Matthew Vaeth, the Trump administration's acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB),

President Donald Trump issued a memo ordering a freezing of federal funds. After lawsuits and a federal judge issuing an injunction, the memo was rescinded.

After major backlash, Trump’s radical plan to freeze government spending is on hold. Now, it’s all very confusing and somewhat opaque — which, under Trump, is by design — but here’s what appears to have happened: We often forget that Trump has frequently been cowed by public opinion when it turns against him.